Decline in instrumental activities of daily living associated with loss of hand grip strength in elderly patients hospitalized in geriatric ward

OBJECTIVE: To verify the association between the ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and handgrip strength in hospitalized geriatric patients without cognitive impairment. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Elderly patients aged over 60 years of both genders admitted to geriatric patients ward were included. On the other hand, elderly with neurological, musculoskeletal and respiratory acute exacerbated diseases; individuals with medical indication of rest or use of clinical apparatus, cognitive impairment and/or delirium were excluded. Data were collected from medical records. The ability to perform IADL was assessed by Lawton Scale and the handgrip strength was measured using handheld dynamometry on the dominant upper limb. A descriptive analysis with mean and standard deviation was carried out. The Pearson correlation test was applied to verify association between the total score of Lawton Scale and handgrip strength. RESULTS: The study included 12 patients (75% women) whose mean age were 80.67±6.35 years. The mean of handgrip strength and total Lawton Scale score were 11.96±6.71 Kgf and 22.58±1.67 points, respectively. A moderate positive association between handgrip strength and Lawton Scale score (r=0.640; p=0.025) was found. CONCLUSION: The handgrip strength and IADLs were associated in this study population.