Relationship Between Respiratory Muscle Strength, Handgrip Strength, and Muscle Mass in Hospitalized Patients

Area of Science:

• Clinical assessment
• Pulmonary function testing
• Body composition analysis

Background:

• Limited data exists for validating respiratory muscle strength (RMS) measurements in clinical settings.
• Accurate assessment of muscle strength and mass is crucial for hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) with handgrip strength (HGS).
• To determine the relationship between RMS measures and cross-sectional muscle area via computed tomography (CT).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data from 35 participants.
• Measurements included MIP, MEP, SNIP, and HGS within 48-72 hours of admission.
• Abdominal CT scans were used to determine cross-sectional muscle area at the third lumbar region.

Main Results:

• Handgrip strength showed significant correlations with MIP (r=0.61-0.62), MEP (r=0.73-0.74), and SNIP (r=0.54-0.58) in males and females.
• Cross-sectional muscle area correlated with MIP (r=0.66), MEP (r=0.58), and SNIP (r=0.783) in men, and SNIP (r=0.56) in women.

Conclusions:

• Respiratory muscle strength measurements show promise as a non-invasive assessment of muscle mass and function.
• These findings support the clinical utility of RMS in evaluating the nutritional and functional status of hospitalized individuals.