MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Stefano Volpato MD MPH
Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara
Ferrara, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Volpato: In this study we evaluated clinical value of handgrip strength assessment in older patients admitted to the hospital for hip fracture. We observed 504 older patients admitted to 4 Italian hospitals for hip surgery, able of walking independently before fracture, and we found a strong, graded and independent association of grip strength, assessed before hip surgery, and the likelihood of functional recovery over the one-year follow-up. The findings reported in our manuscript can be summarized as:
a. handgrip strength significantly correlated with several prognostic factors traditionally considered in clinical practice, such as age, gender, neuro-psychological and functional status, comorbidity level, vitamin D plasma levels, and time before the surgical procedure;
b. logistic regression models showed that handgrip strength was directly associated with higher probability of walking recovery, both at any follow-up (incident walking recovery), and for at least 2 consecutive follow-ups (persistent walking recovery);
b. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates showed that lower grip strength was related to increased mortality after hip surgery;
c. the association between grip performance and walking recovery was clinically relevant and statistically independent of potential confounders.
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