Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41914213›Full record

ArticleJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2026

Higher Grip Strength Is Associated With Reduced Risk of Incident Symptomatic Hand Osteoarthritis: Data From Two Cohort Studies.

Yilun Wang, Wei Li, Hongyi He, David John Hunter, Weiya Zhang, Michael Doherty, Yuqing Zhang, Junqing Xie, Yanqiu Zhu, Jiatian Li and 4 more

Abstract read
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Article in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Yilun WangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Wei LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Hongyi HeDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
David John HunterRheumatology Department, Royal North Shore Hospital and Institute of Bone and Joint Research, Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Weiya ZhangAcademic Rheumatology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Michael DohertyAcademic Rheumatology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Yuqing ZhangDivision of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Junqing XieNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Yanqiu ZhuKey Laboratory of Aging-related Bone and Joint Diseases Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Jiatian LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Tuo YangHealth Management Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Jie WeiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Guanghua LeiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.ORCID 0000-0003-2987-138X
Chao ZengDepartment of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program 2022YFC2505500National Key Research and Development Program 2022YFC3601900National Natural Science Foundation of China 81 930 071National Natural Science Foundation of China 82 072 502National Natural Science Foundation of China 82 302 771National Natural Science Foundation of China 82 372 474National Natural Science Foundation of China U21A20352Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2022JJ40821Scientific Research Program of FuRong Laboratory 2023SK2100Scientific Research Program of FuRong Laboratory 2024PT5108Scientific Research Program of FuRong Laboratory 2025PT5001Scientific Research Program of the Education Department of Hunan Province 296840
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGrip strength is increasingly recognized as a modifiable and easily measurable protective factor against chronic diseases. Lower grip strength may compromise joint stability, predisposing periarticular tissues to local inflammation, which has been implicated in hand osteoarthritis (HOA), a condition affecting approximately 189 million people globally and imposing substantial health and socio-economic burden. Whether lower grip strength is a risk factor for clinically relevant symptomatic HOA remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association between grip strength and incident symptomatic HOA to inform targeted preventive strategies.

methodsWe conducted prospective cohort studies and Mendelian randomization analyses using data from the Xiangya Osteoarthritis (XO) Study and UK Biobank. Individuals without baseline symptomatic or hospital-diagnosed HOA were included. Genetic instruments for grip strength were derived from genome-wide association studies. Symptomatic HOA in the XO Study was defined as the presence of radiographic HOA with symptoms, whereas hospital-diagnosed HOA in the UK Biobank was ascertained through hospital inpatient records.

resultsAmong 2869 XO Study participants (5461 hands; 55.9% women; mean age of 63.2 years), 166 (3.0%) hands developed incident symptomatic HOA during a mean follow-up of 3.7 years. Compared with the lowest grip strength quartile, odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of symptomatic HOA in the second, third and highest quartiles were 0.51 (95% CI, 0.31-0.84), 0.62 (95% CI, 0.39-0.99) and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.28-0.75), respectively (p for trend = 0.003). Similar associations were observed among 481 582 UK Biobank individuals (54.2% women; mean age of 56.4 years). Mendelian randomization analyses showed ORs of genetically determined grip strength of 0.56 (95% CI, 0.40-0.78, p < 0.001) for incident symptomatic HOA in the XO Study and 0.37 (95% CI, 0.25-0.56, p < 0.001) for incident hospital-diagnosed HOA in the UK Biobank.

conclusionsHigher grip strength was associated with a lower risk of incident symptomatic HOA. These findings offer empirical evidence that interventions aimed at enhancing grip strength may help prevent symptomatic HOA and reduce its individual and societal burden.

Indexed as

HandHand StrengthOsteoarthritisAgedCohort StudiesFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansIncidenceMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRisk Factorscohortgrip strengthhand osteoarthritisMendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID41914213
PMCPMC13054672

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.