Relationship between Inflammation and Handgrip Strength among Non-critical Inpatients

Purpose: To analyze the relationship between inflammation and handgrip strength (HGS), an indicator of nutritional status, in inpatients with non-critical illnesses. Materials and Methods: HGS was measured in 530 inpatients (mean age = 56.4 ± 15.2 years) with a handgrip dynamometer. Nutrition risk was evaluated by administration of the nutrition risk screening–2002 tool. High-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) measurements were made with an immuno-turbidimetric assay. Linear regression was used to assess relationships between variables. T-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to detect significant differences. Results: After accounting for gender, age, and nutrition risk, hs-CRP level was a significant predictor of HGS (β-coefficient = -0.1, p Conclusion: HGS was associated inversely with inflammation in hospitalized patients with non-critical illnesses. This finding suggests that relieving inflammation may benefit HGS, which could potentially lead to improved outcomes in terms of relief of inflammation, shorter hospital stays, decreased re-hospitalization rates, and decreased mortality rates.