Association between psychotropic drug use and handgrip strength in older hospitalized patients

Handgrip strength is an indicator of frailty and longevity in older adults. The association between psychotropic drug use and handgrip strength in older hospitalized patients was investigated in this study.

A total of 488 patients were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study, 333 women and 155 men, from two different cohorts of older (mean age 84 years) hospitalized in-patients. We used multiple linear regression models to explore the association between psychotropic drug use and handgrip strength. We adjusted for factors known to affect handgrip strength: Age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity index).

Both unadjusted and adjusted analyses showed that psychotropic drug use was associated with handgrip strength (β = - 0.183, p < 0.0001). The relationship was of a linear character, with no clear threshold value, but with the greatest reduction in handgrip strength between zero and two psychotropic drugs.

An increasing number of psychotropic drugs were significantly associated with reduced handgrip strength in a linearly pattern. Hence, it is timely to question the guided threshold value of avoidance of three or more psychotropic drugs in older people. Psychotropic drug use should be kept as low as possible in treatment of older patients.