Hand-Grip Strength, Body Composition and Functional Capacity in Adults During Early Recovery From COVID-19:A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To compare hand-grip strength, body composition and functional capacity between adults in early recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 and healthy controls, and to examine how grip strength relates to body composition and walking capacity in each group.

Methods: Comparative cross-sectional study with 20 adults recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (recovered group), assessed between the 17th and 30th day after symptom onset or first positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction test, and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Grip strength was measured with a hand-held dynamometer, body composition with bioelectrical impedance analysis, and functional capacity with the six-minute walk test. Groups were compared with the independent-samples t-test, and associations were examined with Pearson correlation (significance at p ≤ 0.05).

Results: Each group had 15 men and 5 women, mean age 41 ± 13.8 years. Grip strength did not differ between groups (25.7 ± 7.0 versus 24.9 ± 10.1 kg; p = 0.779). The recovered group had higher body mass index, body fat percentage, visceral fat, skeletal muscle mass and six-minute walk distance (all p < 0.05). In the recovered group, grip strength correlated inversely with body fat percentage (r = −0.588) and skeletal muscle mass (r = −0.574); in controls, it correlated positively with walk distance (r = 0.482).

Conclusion: In early recovery from coronavirus disease 2019, grip strength was similar to that of healthy controls despite greater adiposity. The inverse association between body fat and grip strength suggests that muscle quality, not only muscle quantity, deserves attention during post-infection rehabilitation.