Hand grip strength is associated with fatigue among men with COPD: epidemiological data from northern Sweden

The aim of this study was to investigate if hand grip strength (HGS) is associated with: 1) fatigue, and specifically clinically relevant fatigue (CRF); 2) low physical activity; and 3) fatigue independent of physical activity level, among individuals with and without COPD. Data were collected from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) COPD-study in 2014. HGS was measured with a hand-grip dynamometer, fatigue and physical activity were assessed by questionnaires; FACIT-Fatigue respectively IPAQ. Among individuals with COPD (n = 389), but not without COPD (n = 442), HGS was lower among those with CRF than those without CRF, significantly so among men (p = 0.001) and close to among women (p = 0.051). HGS was not associated with physical activity levels within any of the groups. HGS was associated with fatigue among men, but not women, with COPD independent of physical activity level, age, height, and smoking habits (Beta = 0.190, 95% CI 0.061-0.319, respectively Beta = 0.048, 95% CI-0.056-0.152), while there were no corresponding significant findings among individuals without COPD. In summary, HGS was associated with CRF among individuals with COPD in this population-based study. Among men with COPD, HGS was associated with fatigue independent of physical activity level and common confounders.