scholarly journals Correlation between Handgrip Strength and Depression in Older Adults—A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

Author(s):  
Ewa Zasadzka ◽  
Anna Pieczyńska ◽  
Tomasz Trzmiel ◽  
Paweł Kleka ◽  
Mariola Pawlaczyk

Background: Depression remains an important health problem among older adults and it may be correlated with the deterioration of physical fitness, whose chief indicator is hand grip strength (HGS). The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between depression and HGS among older populations using the available literature. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Science Direct databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were as follows: written in English and published after 2009, subject age: ≥60 years, HGS measured using a hand dynamometer, assessment of the depressive symptoms using a validated tool. The following articles were excluded: studies conducted among institutionalized subjects and/or populations with a specific disease. Results: The total combined effect of 33 results presented in 16 studies included in the meta-analysis, converted to the correlation coefficient, was OEr = −0.148 (SE = 0.030, 95%CI: −0.206–−0.091), indicating a weak, negative correlation between HGS and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The review of the literature and the meta-analysis demonstrated a relationship between low muscle strength and intensified depressive symptoms in older populations. Bearing in mind that depression is often unrecognized or underdiagnosed among older patients, lowered muscle strength should be an important sign for physicians and an incentive to screen them for depression.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Zasadzka ◽  
Anna Pieczyńska ◽  
Tomasz Trzmiel ◽  
Paweł Kleka ◽  
Mariola Pawlaczyk

Abstract Background: Depression remains an important health problem among older adults. Disorders in older age result from the accumulation of various factors, chief among them somatic diseases, stressful life events, social isolation, unfavorable social attitudes towards older people, declined cognitive function, malnutrition, polypharmacy. Depression may be associated with the deterioration of physical fitness, whose chief indicator is hand grip strength (HGS). The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between depression and HGS among older populations using the available literature. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Science Direct databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were as follows: written in English and published after 2009, subject age: ³60 years, HGS measured using a hand dynamometer, assessment of the depressive symptoms using a validated tool. The following articles were excluded: studies conducted among institutionalized subjects and/or populations with a specific disease. Results: The total combined effect of 33 results presented in 16 studies included in the meta-analysis, converted to the correlation coefficient, was OEr =-.148(SE = .030, 95%CI:-.206 – -.091), indicating a weak, negative correlation between HGS and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The review of the literature and the meta-analysis demonstrated a relationship between low muscle strength measured with the HGS test and intensified depressive symptoms in older populations. Bearing in mind that depression is often unrecognized or underdiagnosed among older patients, lowered muscle strength in older subjects, should be an important sign for physicians and physiotherapists and an incentive to screen them for depression.


Author(s):  
Shuang Wu ◽  
Hong-Ting Ning ◽  
Su-Mei Xiao ◽  
Ming-Yue Hu ◽  
Xin-Yin Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass and function with advancing age, is a prevalent condition among older adults. As most older people are too frail to do intensive exercise and vibration therapy has low risk and ease of participation, it may be more readily accepted by elderly individuals. However, it remains unclear whether vibration therapy would be effective among older adults with sarcopenia. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effect of vibration therapy including local vibration therapy and whole-body vibration therapy, for enhancing muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in older people with sarcopenia. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in March 2019 in the following 5 electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with no restriction of language or the year of publication. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies examining effects of vibration therapy on muscle mass, muscle strength or physical function in older adults with sarcopenia were included in this systematic review. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the selected studies. Results Of the 1972 identified studies, seven publications from six studies involving 223 participants were included in this systematic review. Five of them conducted whole-body vibration therapy, while two conducted local vibration therapy. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies indicated that muscle strength significantly increased after whole-body vibration therapy (SMD 0.69, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.11, I2 = 0%, P = 0.001) and local vibration therapy (SMD 3.78, 95% CI 2.29 to 5.28, P < 0.001). Physical performance measured by the sit-to-stand test and the timed-up-and-go test were significantly improved after the intervention (SMD -0.79, 95% CI − 1.21 to − 0.37, I2 = 0%, P < 0.001) and SMD -0.83, 95% CI − 1.56 to − 0.11, I2 = 64%, P = 0.02, respectively). Conclusion Vibration therapy could be a prospective strategy for improving muscle strength and physical performance in older adults with sarcopenia. However, due to the limited number of the included studies, caution is needed when interpreting these results. More well-designed, large sample size studies should be conducted to further explore and validate the benefits of vibration therapy for this population.


Author(s):  
Pia Øllgaard Olsen ◽  
Anne-Ditte Termannsen ◽  
Maja Bramming ◽  
Mark A. Tully ◽  
Paolo Caserotti

Abstract Background Self-reported disability has a strong negative impact on older people’s quality of life and is often associated with the need for assistance and health care services. Resistance training (RT) has been repeatedly shown to improve muscle function (e.g. strength) and functional capacity (e.g. gait speed, chair-rise) in older adults with functional limitations. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether such objectively assessed improvements translate into a reduction in self-reported disability. Objectives To assess: i) whether and to what extent RT interventions have an effect on self-reported disability in older adults (≥65 years) with functional limitations or disability; and ii) whether the effects on self-reported disability are associated with changes in objective measures of muscle strength and functional capacity across studies. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus electronic databases were searched in June 2018. Randomized controlled trials reporting effects of RT on self-reported disability/function in ≥65 year-old adults with defined, functional limitations or self-reported disability were eligible. Data on self-reported disability/function were pooled by calculating adjusted standardized mean differences (SMD) using Hedges’g. Likewise, effect sizes for three secondary outcomes: knee extensor muscle strength; gait capacity; and lower body functional capacity were calculated and fit as covariates in separate meta-regressions with self-reported disability as the dependent factor. Results Fourteen RCTs were eligible for the primary meta-analysis on self-reported disability. The total number of participants was 651 (intervention n = 354; control n = 297). A significant moderate positive effect of RT was found (SMD: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.253 to 0.925, p = 0.001). Between-study heterogeneity was present (I2 statistic = 75,1%, p <  0.001). RT effects on objective measures of lower body functional capacity were significantly associated with effects on self-reported disability (Adj. R2 = 99%, p = 0.002, n = 12 studies), whereas no significant associations with gait capacity or knee extensor strength were found. Conclusions This review provides evidence that RT has a moderate positive effect on self-reported disability/function in old people with or at risk for disability. The effects are strongly associated with effects on objective measures of lower body functional capacity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-331
Author(s):  
Junga Lee

Several controversial studies linking handgrip strength and health have suggested that low handgrip strength in older adults may be related to health problems and have investigated whether there is a minimum handgrip strength level associated with reduced mortality. Thus, by meta-analysis, the authors identified an association between handgrip strength in older adults and disease-specific mortality and all-cause mortality. Thirty studies with a total of 194,767 older adult participants were included in this meta-analysis. Higher handgrip strength was associated with an 18% decrease in all-cause mortality. Lower handgrip strength was associated with increased all-cause mortality. The minimum handgrip strength in older women that did not increase all-cause mortality was 18.21 kg. Increased handgrip strength showed a decreased all-cause mortality, whereas decreased handgrip strength was associated with increased all-cause mortality. Strengthening the handgrip may help improve disease-specific mortality in older adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2006-2016
Author(s):  
Emily AP Haigh ◽  
Olivia E Bogucki ◽  
Peter J Dearborn ◽  
Michael A Robbins ◽  
Merrill F Elias

A recent meta-analysis identified a prospective association between depression and cardiovascular disease; however, there was no association for studies with long-term follow-up periods. The literature has primarily focused on baseline depression status or symptoms, which may not capture the chronic nature of depression. This study examined the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular disease up to 15 years later in 274 cardiovascular disease–free older adults. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, mean arterial pressure, and cardiovascular disease status were assessed. Baseline and chronic depressive symptoms predicted increased risk of cardiovascular disease, underscoring the importance of assessing and treating depression in older adults.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1153-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Barnett ◽  
Casper J. P. Zhang ◽  
Janice M. Johnston ◽  
Ester Cerin

ABSTRACTBackground:While depression is a growing public health issue, the percentage of individuals with depression receiving treatment is low. Physical and social attributes of the neighborhood may influence the level of depressive symptoms and the prevalence of depression in older adults.Methods:This review systematically examined the literature on neighborhood environmental correlates of depression in older adults. Findings were analyzed according to three depression outcomes: depressive symptoms, possible depression, and clinical depression. Based on their description in the article, environmental variables were assigned to one of 25 categories. The strength of evidence was statistically quantified using a meta-analytical approach with articles weighted for sample size and study quality. Findings were summarized by the number of positive, negative, and statistically non-significant associations by each combination of environmental attribute – depression outcome and by combining all depression outcomes.Results:Seventy-three articles met the selection criteria. For all depression outcomes combined, 12 of the 25 environmental attribute categories were considered to be sufficiently studied. Three of these, neighborhood socio-economic status, collective efficacy, and personal/crime-related safety were negatively associated with all depression outcomes combined. Moderating effects on associations were sparsely investigated, with 52 articles not examining any. Attributes of the physical neighborhood environment have been understudied.Conclusion:This review provides support for the potential influence of some neighborhood attributes on population levels of depression. However, further research is needed to adequately examine physical attributes associated with depression and moderators of both social and physical neighborhood environment attribute – depression outcome associations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Bai ◽  
Fang Fang ◽  
Feika Li ◽  
Yan Ren ◽  
Jiaan Hu ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundBoth sarcopenia and handgrip strength have been observed association with hypertension. However, the results in different studies were inconsistent. In the current study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to reveal the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension in older adults.MethodsPubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to 15 November, 2019for original research studies. The studies that addressed the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension were included and summarized.Results19 studies met the inclusion criteria and a total of 21301 were included in the meta-analysis. Eight eligible studiesreported the odd ratios (ORs) of hypertension and the ORs ranged from 0.41 to 4.38. When pooled the ORs together, the summarized ORs was 1.29 [95% confidence interval (CI) =1.00-1.67]. The summarized ORs for the Asian group 1.50 (95% CI=1.35-1.67) was significantly higher than that of Caucasian group 1.08 (95% CI=0.39-2.97). Eleven studies provided the data on association between handgrip strength and hypertension. The overall ORs and 95% CI was 0.99 (95% CI=0.80-1.23), showing no association.ConclusionSarcopenia was associated with hypertension but no correlation was found between handgrip strength and hypertension in older adults.


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