Grip Strength Still Impaired 5 Years After RA Diagnosis

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience impaired grip strength 5 years after diagnosis, according to a recent study.

Using age-specific and sex-specific reference values from the literature, the researchers compared the average and peak grip force values of the dominant hand of 225 patients with early RA.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Could Grip Strength Predict All-Cause Mortality Risk?
Study Evaluates Use of MRI for Monitoring RA Joint Damage
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The mean baseline average grip force was significantly lower in patients with early RA compared with the expected values from the literature. Likewise, the observed average and peak grip force values of patients with early RA were significantly reduced over time and were lower at all times compared with the expected values of women and men.

While the average grip force improved significantly during the first year, the average grip force was still lower than the expected overall value at 5 years.

“Grip strength […] was still significantly impaired 5 years after diagnosis, even among those with limited self-reported disability and those in clinical remission,” the researchers concluded. “This suggests that further efforts to improve hand function are important in early RA.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Rydholm M, Book C, Wikström I, Jacobsson L, Turesson C. Despite Early Improvement, Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Still Have Impaired Grip Force 5 Years after Diagnosis [published online July 10, 2017]. Arthritis Care & Research. doi:10.1002/acr.23318.