Frailty is dynamic. However, the relationship between handgrip strength (HGS) weakness, asymmetry and frailty progression is still unclear.
This cohort study used data from waves 4–9 (2008–2009 to 2018–2019) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and waves 10–15 (2010 to 2020) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). HGS weakness was assessed by maximal HGS, and asymmetry by the ratio of HGS in the nondominant hand to that in the dominant hand. Frailty was assessed by frailty index (FI). Linear mixed-effect models were employed for our analyses. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to pool the results from the ELSA and HRS studies.
A total of 7598 participants from ELSA and 7304 from HRS were included. After full adjustment, weakness (pooled β=0.796; 95% CI 0.504 to 1.089; p<0.001) and asymmetry (pooled β=0.072; 95% CI 0.017 to 0.126; p=0.010) were independently associated with accelerated frailty progression. For the combined status of these two indicators, individuals with both weakness and asymmetry exhibited the highest baseline FI (pooled β=12.772; 95% CI 11.756 to 13.789; p<0.001) and the fastest FI progression (pooled β=0.976; 95% CI 0.826 to 1.127; p<0.001). Moreover, HGS status changed over time, with distinct transition patterns being associated with different rates of frailty progression.
Incorporating HGS testing into annual health check-ups can aid in the early identification of HGS weakness and asymmetry, which may help prevent frailty progression.