Hand grip strength tied to augmentation index, but not to baPWV, carotid IMT

Hand grip strength (HGS) shows a relevant association with augmentation index (AIx), but not with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), reports a study.

AIx decreased (r, 0.437; p<0.001) with increased grip strength. On the other hand, baPWV (r, 0.044; p=0.107) and CIMT (r, 0.005; p=0.856) were not significantly associated with HGS. This trend persisted regardless of hypertension but was more robust in hypertensive individuals.

“Our findings suggest that central arterial stiffness could mediate the association between HGS and cardiovascular events,” the authors said.

HGS has been associated with cardiovascular events, but the exact mechanism responsible for the inverse association between HGS and cardiovascular events has not been established. To determine whether arterial stiffness mediated this association, the authors analysed 1,508 participants (mean age 60 years, 47.5 percent men) from the Ansan cohort of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study.

An applanation tonometer and an automated waveform analyser were used to evaluate the AIx and baPWV, respectively. CIMT was measured using a B-mode ultrasonogram with a 7.5-MHz linear array transducer. The authors then assessed HGS using a Jamar dynamometer.

A recent study involving 406,834 participants from the UK Biobank has found that the addition of grip strength or usual walking pace to existing risk scores improved cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction, with an additive effect when both are added. [Mayo Clin Proc 2020;95:879-888]

“As both these measures are cheap and easy to administer, these tools could provide an important addition to CVD risk screening, although further external validation is required,” the researchers said.