Handgrip strength is inversely and independently associated with multimorbidity among older women: Results from the KORA-Age study.
BACKGROUND
Data on the association between handgrip strength and multimorbidity (MMB) are missing.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine if handgrip strength is related to MMB in a large population-based sample of older persons.


METHODS
The cross-sectional analysis was based on 1079 older people (aged 65-94years), who participated in the KORA-Age study in the Augsburg region, southern Germany. Participants underwent an interview and extensive examinations, including anthropometric measurements, registration of chronic diseases, determination of health-related behaviors (smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity), collection of blood samples, and muscle strength measurement using hand-grip dynamometry.


RESULTS
In men, handgrip strength correlated strongly with the number of co-existing diseases (r=-0.176, p<0.001), and the same pattern was observed for women (r=-0.287, p<0.001). Among women, handgrip strength in the lower tertile compared to the upper tertile was significantly associated with an increased odds of having MMB (OR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.30-5.07, p=0.007) after controlling for age, BMI, education, alcohol intake, smoking habits, medications number, inflammatory markers, telomere length and levels of physical activity. Contrary, no significant association between handgrip strength and MMB was found among men (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.73-2.40, p=0.362) after multivariable adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
Lower levels of handgrip strength are associated with a higher odd of MMB among older women even after adjusting for traditional and novel confounders. Increasing the levels of muscular strength in older women seems to be important in order to reduce the risk for the co-occurrence of multiple chronic diseases.
Department of Prevention and Sports Medicine, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich, Germany; 7FIT Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, Augsburg, Germany. Electronic address: volaklis@sport.med.tum.de.
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Volaklis
Department of Prevention and Sports Medicine, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany; Else-Kröner-Fresenius-Zentrum, Munich, Germany.
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Halle
Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
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Thorand
Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
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Peters
Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
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Ladwig
Institute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M), German Center for Lung Research,Germany.
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Schulz
DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine II-Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Ulm, Germany; Deutsches Herzzentrum München, Technische Universität München, Munich,Germany.
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Koenig
Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
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Meisinger
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report
Chronic diseases; Handgrip strength; Multimorbidity; Older persons