Handgrip strength on the unaffected side associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in male patients with stroke

ObjectivesTo investigate factors related to cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with stroke and explore the association between handgrip strength (HS) and peak oxygen utilization (VO2peak). METHODSThe present study adopted a cross-sectional method. Seventy male patients who had been clinically diagnosed with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were recruited for this study. HS on the unaffected side (uHS) was measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer and adjusted for body mass index (uHSBMI) and body surface area (uHSBSA). Concurrently, the VO2peak was measured using a cardiopulmonary exercise test system. Univariate, multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between various participant characteristics and the VO2peak. RESULTSThe average age of the 70 selected male patients was 51.6 {+/-} 10.3 years. The Barthel Index (BI), uHS, uHSBMI, and uHSBSA were the independent predictors of VO2peak. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), body mass index (BMI), and body surface area (BSA) were negatively correlated with the VO2peak. The estimation of VO2peak using linear regression, including age, BI, uHSBSA, and anaerobic threshold (AT) as independent variables, explained 65.5% of the variance in the VO2peak. CONCLUSIONBMI- and BSA-adjusted uHS appear to be independent factors associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in male patients with stroke. The anaerobic threshold (AT) combined with uHSBMI/uHSBSA may provide a more reliable assessment of the aerobic capacity post-stroke. The measurement of handgrip strength is a simple, risk-stratifying method that may help determine the cardiorespiratory fitness of patients with stroke, but a larger study with diverse subjects is needed.