Association between type II diabetes mellitus and hand grip strength in the elderly

Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious disease in Indonesia, with the highest prevalence in the elderly. Type II DM increases the risk of sarcopenia, a decline in muscle mass and strength. This study aimed to investigate an association between type II DM and hand grip strength in the elderly. It was a cross-sectional study of 164 subjects in the geriatric clinic of Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital. Variables assessed included type II DM as the independent variable and hand grip strength as the dependent variable. Nutritional status, age, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were considered possible confounding variables. Criteria to define hand grip strength were derived from the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS). Data were analyzed using a chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. Of the subjects, 67 (40.9%) had been diagnosed with type II DM and 110 (67.1%) had low hand grip strength. There were 52 subjects (31.7%) with type II DM and low hand grip strength. Bivariate analysis showed a significant association between type II DM and low hand grip strength (OR, 2.331; 95% CI, 1.154-4.710; p = 0.017). On multivariate analysis, variables significantly associated with low hand grip strength included type II DM (OR, 4.052; 95% CI, 1.776-9.245; p = 0.001), nutritional status (OR, 2.369; 95% CI, 1.155-4.860; p = 0.019), and age (OR, 3.338; 95% CI, 1.547-7.203; p = 0.002).