Abstract
Objectives
Examining strength asymmetries in assessments of muscle function may improve screenings
for limitations in independent living tasks such as instrumental activities of daily
living (IADL). We sought to determine the associations between handgrip strength (HGS)
asymmetry and future IADL limitations in aging Americans.
Design
Longitudinal panel.
Setting and Participants
Secondary analyses of data from participants aged at least 50 years from the 2006-2016
waves of the Health and Retirement Study. The analytic sample included 18,235 Americans
who identified hand dominance and had measures of HGS for both hands in a single wave.
Methods
Hand dominance was self-reported, and a handgrip dynamometer measured HGS on each
hand. The highest HGS values on each hand were used to calculate the HGS asymmetry
ratio: (nondominant HGS/dominant HGS). Individuals with HGS asymmetry ratio <0.80
or >1.20 had HGS asymmetry. Persons with HGS asymmetry ratio <0.80 had dominant HGS
asymmetry, whereas participants with HGS asymmetry ratio >1.20 had nondominant HGS
asymmetry. Persons with HGS asymmetry ratio <1.0 also had their ratio inversed to
make all HGS asymmetry ratios ≥1.0. IADL were self-reported. Covariate-adjusted generalized
estimating equations were used for the analyses.
Results
Participants with HGS asymmetry had 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.20]
greater odds for future IADL limitations. Each HGS asymmetry dominance group also
had greater odds for future IADL limitations: 1.09 (CI: 1.01-1.18) for individuals
with dominant HGS asymmetry and 1.29 (CI: 1.09-1.52) for persons with nondominant
HGS asymmetry. Every 0.10 increase in inverted HGS asymmetry ratio was associated
with 1.30 (CI: 1.07-1.57) greater odds for future IADL limitations.
Conclusions and Implications
Assessing HGS asymmetry, as another potential biomarker of impaired muscle function,
may provide novel insights for predicting IADL limitations. Future research should
continue examining how strength asymmetries, and other aspects of muscle function
beyond maximal strength, factor into the disabling cascade.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 05, 2020
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
