Weakness May Have a Causal Association With Early Mortality in Older Americans: A Matched Cohort Analysis.
Ryan McGrath, Brenda M Vincent, Mark D Peterson and 4 others
PMID 31786197WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with low handgrip strength died more often than matched peers: 37.2% versus 27.4% compared with not-weak, and 37.0% versus 22.9% compared with strong.
This does not prove weakness causes death.
Key findings
01After matching weak participants to not-weak participants, 37.2% of weak participants died compared with 27.4% of not-weak participants, and the weak group had a 1.40 higher hazard for mortality.
02After matching weak participants to strong participants, 37.0% of weak participants died compared with 22.9% of strong participants, and the weak group had a 1.54 higher hazard for mortality.
03In a sensitivity analysis matching weak participants to two controls, the weak group still had a 1.38 higher hazard versus not-weak and a 1.57 higher hazard versus strong.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is observational; matching reduces some confounding but cannot prove that weakness causes death. Authors note possible self-report bias for covariates. Medication information that could contribute to weakness was not available. Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness were not measured. The study did not test strength training or any intervention to reduce mortality.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types indicate NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that grip strengthening will reduce mortality. This was an observational matched cohort analysis showing an association, not a tested intervention, and the authors state that the findings do not confirm weakness directly causes death.