title: Admission handgrip strength predicts functional decline in hospitalized patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Up to 35% of hospitalized patients may experience functional decline during or after hospitalization. Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and handgrip strength at admission, have been proposed as simple and accessible tools to predict functional decline, but there are few studies in hospitalized patients to confirm these findings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the predictive value of handgrip strength at hospital admission, on functional decline after 30 days.
  
  
  METHODS
  125 non-critical patients hospitalized for medical and surgical conditions, were studied in El Pino hospital in Santiago, Chile. Upon admission, nutritional status was assessed by SGA, functional status through the Karnofsky index (KI), and handgrip strength by dynamometry. Change in functionality was assessed by the difference between KI at admission and 30 days later. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to establish associations between the variables at hospital admission, and subsequent functional decline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty days post-hospital admission, 28.8% of the sample showed functional decline. In a multivariate analysis, only handgrip strength was associated with this decline (β = -0.025, OR = 0.974 (CI 0.956-0.992), p = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Handgrip strength upon hospital admission can be a useful independent and early method to predict deterioration of functional status during hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Hospital El Pino, San Bernardo, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Thiare
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Olguín
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bunout
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: María Pía
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: de la Maza
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barrera
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: shirsch@inta.uchile.cl.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010343:Patient Admission; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hand strength; Hospitalization; Karnofsky index; Nutrition assessment