Average urinary flow rate and its association with handgrip strength.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Urology
• Physiology and Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Underactive bladder (UAB) causes voiding dysfunction in the elderly, often linked to detrusor muscle degeneration.
• Decreased muscle strength is increasingly recognized as a factor in UAB.
• Handgrip strength (HGS) serves as an early indicator of systemic frailty and muscle weakness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between urine flow rate (UFR) and handgrip strength (HGS) in a male population.
• To determine if UFR can serve as a surrogate marker for muscle strength in men.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 2258 male participants from the NHANES 2011-2012 dataset.
• Participants were categorized into quartiles based on measured urine flow rate (UFR).
• Multivariate regression models were employed to assess the relationship between UFR and HGS.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between UFR and HGS in men (β=1.348, p=0.001).
• Men in the highest UFR quartile exhibited significantly greater HGS compared to the lowest quartile (β=4.546, p<0.001).
• Higher UFR was associated with reduced odds of low HGS (OR=0.489, p<0.001) in fully adjusted models.

Conclusions:

• Urine flow rate (UFR) shows a strong association with handgrip strength (HGS) in healthy men.
• This finding suggests UFR may be a useful, non-invasive indicator of general muscle strength and health status.