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Analysis of Factors Influencing Hand Grip Strength and Acute Effect of Grip Strength Test on Blood Pressure in Young Adults

Introduction: Isometric Hand Grip (IHG) strength measurement is extensively used in many areas of medicine and sport science as a functional test of overall strength. By testing the IHG strength, maximum isometric strength of the hand and forearm muscles can be estimated. Weak hand grip strength is a key component of sarcopenia and is associated with subsequent disability and mortality. Aim: To evaluate the role of handedness, gender, ethnicity, Body Mass Index (BMI) on hand grip strength and to examine the acute effect of grip strength test on blood pressure in young adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done between November 2018-November 2019 on normal healthy participants (n=83; average age 20.24±0.21 years) representing various ethnicities. Participants’ demographic data was collected and their IHG strength was determined in both dominant and non dominant hand. Blood pressure was recorded before and after the IHG strength test. A correlation analysis was performed to determine the association between resting blood pressure/BMI with IHG strength. Results: A total of 83 subjects of different ethnicities and both male and female genders were included in the study. The IHG strength was not influenced by handedness in both the sexes. Amongst males, IHG strength was found to be slightly higher in the Arab population as compared to South-asian and Emirati. A lower IHG strength was observed in females compared to males in every ethnicity studied. Moderate positive correlation was found between IHG strength with BMI (dominant hand IHG strength vs BMI: r=0.34; p-value <0.001, non dominant hand IHG strength vs BMI: r=0.35; p-value <0.001) and with Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (r=0.55; p-value ≤0.0001) (SBP). Both the SBP and Diastolic Blood Pressures (DBP) were observed to be reduced after IHG strength test. Conclusion: Handedness did not influence IHG strength, but, ethnicity mildly and gender significantly influenced it. Blood pressure was reduced by IHG test. The IHG strength was positively correlated with BMI and SBP.