The association between decreased hand grip strength and hip fracture in older people: A systematic review

Hip fractures are a global concern, resulting in poor outcomes and high health care costs. They mostly affect people >80 years. Hip fractures are influenced by various (modifiable) risk factors. Emerging evidence suggests hand grip strength (HGS) to be one of several useful tools to identify hip fracture risk. This is the first systematic review that aims to assess the evidence underlying the relationship between hip fracture incidence and HGS. Eleven studies were selected for this review (six case-control and five cohort studies), comprising 21,197 participants. Where reported, HGS was significantly decreased in individuals with a hip fracture near the time of injury as compared to controls (p < 0.001); HGS was associated with increased hip fracture risk in all included studies. Meta-analysis was not possible. All studies included in this systematic review confirmed a relationship between decreased HGS and hip fracture incidence. We were not able to quantify the strength of this relationship, due to the heterogeneity of the included studies. HGS merits further investigation as a useful tool for identifying individuals that might be at elevated risk for sustaining a hip fracture.