Mean Hand Grip Strength and Cut-off Value for Sarcopenia in Korean Adults Using KNHANES VI

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to report age- and gender-specific distribution of the hand grip strength (HGS) using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI-3 (2015) survey and determine cut-off values for low muscle strength of HGS of Koreans. Of a total of 7,380 participants, 4,553 were subjected to measurements of HGS, including 1,997 men and 2,556 women with a mean age of 49.3 years (range, 19–80 years). The mean ages of men and women were 49.0 and 49.5 years, respectively. HGS was measured using a digital hand dynamometer. It was defined as maximal measured grip strength of the dominant hand. The cut-off value for low muscle strength was defined as the lower 20th percentile of HGS of the study population. Maximum grip strength of men was significantly higher than that of women (40.2 kg in men vs. 24.2 kg in women, P < 0.001). The mean HGS was increased from the age of 19 to 39 years. It was peaked in the age of 35 to 39 years range for both men and women. It was then decreased after 39 years. The cut-off values of HGS in male and female elderly healthy populations were 28.6 and 16.4 kg, respectively. These data might be used as reference values when evaluating sarcopenia and assessing hand injuries.

Relationship Between Handgrip Strength and Pulmonary Function in Apparently Healthy Older Women

“…A resting interval of at least 30 seconds was allowed between each measurement . Handgrip strength was defined as the maximally measured grip strength of the dominant hand . Trained medical technicians conducted pulmonary function tests according to the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society using a spirometry system …”

“…Previous studies have reported that handgrip strength is closely linked to muscle mass, nutritional status, and walking performance . Moreover, handgrip strength is considered an important index when diagnosing sarcopenia because weak handgrip strength is a useful predictor of low muscle mass and a clinical marker of poor physical performance …”

Feasibility of systematic handgrip strength testing in digestive cancer patients treated with chemotherapy: The FIGHTDIGO study

“…Nevertheless, several aspects of using the Jamar dynamometer may require further investigation. First, although more and more studies are attempting to determine cut points for weak grip strength with respect to age, sex, and ethnic group, 8,17,20,[25][26][27][28][29] the HGS dynamometer thresholds remain undetermined for patients with cancer. Second, we may need more standardization for the realization of the test: the number of attempts needed, 30 the hand chosen (the dominant hand vs the nondominant hand), and the value chosen (the best or mean of several values).…”

“…16 It was also recently included in the consensual definition of sarcopenia, which associates muscle mass loss and weak strength. 17 The HGS test was recently studied in large population samples including up to 140,000 patients, [18][19][20] and this suggests that it may be an easy test to perform. Despite this, the HGS test is not part of daily medical practice, notably in oncology, and the feasibility and acceptability of measuring grip strength in different medical services have not been yet established.…”

Low alanine aminotransferase levels predict low muscle strength in older patients with diabetes: A nationwide cross‐sectional study in Korea

“…As Asia is made up of many ethnic groups, applying the population‐specific cut‐off value to any sample population can be problematic . For this reason, we used the Korean‐specific cut‐off value of <28.6 kg in men and <16.4 kg in women, obtained using Korean nationwide data …”