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. 2023 Dec 7;10(12):1898.
doi: 10.3390/children10121898.

Preterm-Born Young Women Have Weaker Hand Grip Strength Compared to Their Full-Term-Born Peers

Ella Bruun  1   2   3 , Pauli Pätsi  1   2   3 , Markku Leskinen  1   2   3 , Krista Björkman  1   2   3 , Petri Kulmala  1   2   3   4 , Mikko P Tulppo  4   5 , Marita Valkama  1   2   3 , Marja Ojaniemi  1   2   3
Affiliations

Preterm-Born Young Women Have Weaker Hand Grip Strength Compared to Their Full-Term-Born Peers

Ella Bruun et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Prematurity has been linked to lower muscular fitness and increased morbidity across the human lifespan. Hand grip strength is widely used as a measure of muscle strength. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the role of vitamin D in hand grip strength. Here, we investigated hand grip strength and the effects of a yearlong vitamin D supplementation in healthy preterm-born young adults. We recruited 38 young adults born preterm at either ≤32 weeks' gestation or <34 weeks' gestation and weighing <1500 g, as well as 39 gender- and age-matched controls, for this study. Anthropometric measurements, hand grip strengths, and vitamin D concentrations were recorded. These investigations were repeated after a yearlong vitamin D supplementation intervention. There was a significant difference in the age- and gender-specific hand grip strength ranks between the preterm- and full-term-born young adults: 57.9% and 30.7%, respectively, were below average (p = 0.009). In the preterm-born group, the females had significantly lower hand grip strengths compared to their full-term-born peers, with a mean difference of -3.46 kg (95% CI: -6.68 to -0.247; p = 0.035). In a linear regression analysis, the preterm-born female adult height was negatively associated with hand grip strength (R2 = 0.24, F (1.43) = 13.61, p < 0.001). The vitamin D concentrations were increased after the supplementation period, with no association with hand grip strength. According to our results, preterm-born young females are at risk for lower muscle strength, independent of their current vitamin D status.

Keywords: hand grip strength; muscle strength; preterm birth; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of this study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of preterm-born participant recruitment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparisons in hand grip strength rank between preterm- and full-term-born study groups (A), females (B), and males (C). Hand grip strength was ranked as follows, based on the Finnish national health study results of 2017: 1 = markedly below average, 2 = somewhat below average, 3 = average, 4 = somewhat above average, 5 = markedly above average [23,24].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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