Abstract
Background: A handgrip dynamometer is a simple, inexpensive and quick method to assess muscle
strength. Sequential decrease in handgrip strength has been shown in various studies as a strong predictor
of stroke. Therefore, this study aimed to measure muscular strength and determined its association with
co-morbidities to predict critical illness in a community based setting of Punjab, Pakistan.
Methods: The study participants (n=152), were recruited through convenient sampling, during a
community-based survey. Muscle strength was assessed with the handgrip dynamometer and quantified
according to high, average and low percentile. Chi-square test was done to assess the distribution and
multinomial logistic regression analysis to identify the factors associated with them.
Results: Out of 152 participants, mean age 44.5±15.3 years, 95(62.5%) were females and 57(35.5%) males.
Handgrip strength measurement showed that 38(25%) of participants had high muscle strength, 80(52.6%)
average and 34(22.4%) had low muscle strength. Low muscle strength was significantly higher among
females (OR: 7.9, 95% CI: 2.4-27.1) as compared to the males. In general participants having diabetes had
low muscle strength (p<0.011), but in hypertensive the association was not significant (p<0.21).
Conclusion: Overall patients at risk of stroke such as diabetics had significant low muscle strength but in
hypertensive the association was not significant (p<0.21). More studies with bigger sample size are required
to make it a predictive marker for stroke and cardiovascular diseases. It is easy to measure and is a low-cost
technique for risk scoring and risk prediction in a community-based setting at an early stage.
