Clinical research studyGrip Strength Predicts Cause-Specific Mortality in Middle-Aged and Elderly Persons
Section snippets
Methods
Subjects were members of the AHS cohort of RERF. The AHS was begun in 1958 by RERF’s predecessor, the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), as a clinical cohort study to investigate the long-term medical and biological effects of exposure to atomic-bomb radiation among the survivors and unexposed controls in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Approximately 20,000 persons were invited to participate in biennial health examinations conducted by ABCC (and later, RERF) clinical physicians. A detailed
Results
Average age at examination was 55.5 years in men and 53.9 years in women. Average grip strength was 46.4 kg in men and 29.2 kg in women. According to average grip strength by age- and sex-specific categories, a gradual decrease was apparent in both sexes. Decrease of grip strength from 35-44 years to 65-74 years was 11.1 kg in men and 8.8 kg in women (Figure 1). Other clinical characteristics are shown in Table 1. Men tend to have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and are more
Discussion
Grip strength was a strong and consistent predictor of all causes of mortality in middle-aged and elderly persons in Japan at more than 20 years of follow-up from baseline. This association was observed in all age categories from 35 to 74 years and in both sexes. It predicted not only all causes of mortality, but also heart disease and stroke mortality.
Grip strength may be representative of overall muscular strength because it is highly correlated with other muscular strength measures,
Conclusion
Grip strength is a strong and consistent predictor of all causes of mortality in middle-aged and elderly persons, even at more than 20 years of follow-up from baseline. In accordance with the present findings, regular exercise for improvement of physical and musculoskeletal fitness is eagerly recommended to improve prognosis.
Acknowledgment
This publication is based on research performed at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. RERF is a private nonprofit foundation funded equally by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), the latter through the National Academy of Sciences. This publication was supported by RERF Research Protocol RP2-75.
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