Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a disease characterized by progressive loss of muscle fiber, gradually from proximal to distal.

The goal of a recent study published in Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria was to determine the associations between hand grip strength and functional measures in non-ambulatory children with DMD.

In this study, hand grip strength was evaluated using a dynamometer in 38 children with DMD, with a mean age of 12.02 ± 1.99 years. The Turkish version of the EgenKlassifikation Scale-2 (EK2) was used for assessing the global functional capacity; Performance of Upper Limb (PUL) for functional performance; and the ABILHAND-Kids for hand ability.

The findings revealed that the dominant hand grip strength of children with DMD was higher than that of their non-dominant hand. The EK2 was 13.02 ± 5.50; PUL was 49.86 ± 14.34; and ABILHAND-Kids was 26.81 ± 7.59. Moreover, hand grip strength correlated to the EK2.

The results suggested a moderate correlation between functional ability and strength of children with DMD. Therefore, it was stated that hand grip strength may be used in clinical practice as a practical assessment tool, to have an immediate insight into the global functional capacity in non-ambulatory DMD children.

Source: Bulut N, Gürbüz I, Yilmaz Ö, Aydin G, Karaduman A. The association of hand grip strength with functional measures in non-ambulatory children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. ArqNeuropsiquiatr. 2019;77(11):792-796. doi:10.1590/0004-282x20190161