Muscle strength is associated with COVID-19 hospitalization in adults 50 years of age and older

ABSTRACT

BackgroundWeak muscle strength has been associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Yet, whether individuals with weaker muscle strength are more at risk for hospitalization due to severe COVID-19 is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the independent association between muscle strength and COVID-19 hospitalization. MethodsData from adults 50 years of age or older were analyzed using logistic models adjusted for several chronic conditions, body-mass index, age, and sex. Hand-grip strength was repeatedly measured between 2004 and 2017 using a handheld dynamometer. COVID-19 hospitalization during the lockdown was self reported in summer 2020 and was used as an indicator of COVID-19 severity. ResultsThe study was based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and included 3600 older adults (68.8 {+/-} 8.8 years, 2044 females), amongst whom 316 were tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (8.8%) and 83 (2.3 %) were hospitalized due to COVID-19. Results showed that higher grip strength was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [OR] per increase of 1 standard deviation in grip strength = .64, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = .45-.87, p = .015). Results also showed that age (OR for a 10-year period = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.32-2.20, p < .001) and obesity (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.00-3.69, p = .025) were associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. Sensitivity analyses using different measurements of grip strength as well as robustness analyses based on rare-events logistic regression and a different sample of participants (i.e., COVID-19 patients) were consistent with the main results. ConclusionMuscle strength is an independent risk factor for COVID-19 severity in adults 50 years of age or older.