Handgrip strength as a surrogate marker of lean mass and risk of malnutrition in paediatric patients. Issue 9 (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mckirdy, Shona; Nichols, Ben; Williamson, Sarah; Gerasimidis, Konstantinos
• Is Part Of: Clinical nutrition. Volume 40:Issue 9(2021)
• Page Start: 5189
• Page End: 5195
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Handgrip strength -- Children -- Body composition -- Paediatric yorkhill malnutrition score -- Nutrition risk; Critically ill -- Nutrition -- Periodicals; Diet therapy -- Periodicals; Parenteral feeding -- Periodicals; Enteral feeding -- Periodicals; Enteral Nutrition -- Periodicals; Parenteral Nutrition -- Periodicals; Metabolism -- Periodicals; Diétothérapie -- Périodiques; Alimentation parentérale -- Périodiques; Alimentation entérale -- Périodiques; Nutrition -- Périodiques; Diet therapy; Enteral feeding; Nutrition; Parenteral feeding; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 615.854
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.08.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-5614

Abstract

Summary: Background & aims: The use of handgrip strength (HGS) as a proxy of nutritional status in sick children has not been studied. This study created HGS centile charts in healthy children and explored the utility of HGS z-scores as markers of body composition and screening of malnutrition risk in sick children. Methods: Data from 535 healthy children aged 5–16 years were used for the development of HGS centiles adjusted either for age or height. In 595 sick children, relationships between HGS z-scores with body composition, malnutrition risk (Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score-PYMS), length of hospital stay (LOS) and biomarkers of disease severity were explored. The use of HGS z-score to identify sick children in need of further dietetic assessment was investigated. Results: Children scoring at high malnutrition risk with PYMS had lower HGS z-scores for age (by 0.51 SD, p < 0.001) and height (by 0.46 SD, p = 0.001) than those who scored low. A HGS z-score at cut-offs of ˗0.81 SD and ˗1.2 SD for age and height, respectively, was predictive of need for dietetic intervention in sick children with sensitivity of 79% and 70% and specificity of 56% and 69%, respectively. HGS z-scores were predictive of fat free mass (FFM) in sick and healthy (all p < 0.001) children, while fat mass was not. HGS z-scores were inversely related with plasma CRP (rho, age: ˗0.21; height: ˗0.23, both p = 0.001). HGS was not predictive of LOS. Conclusion: HGS is predictive of FFM, could compliment assessment of malnutrition risk, and may help identify children for further dietetic intervention on admission to hospital.