Gripwise Versus Jamar: The Challenge of a New Dynamometer Assessing Handgrip Strength

Background: Sarcopenia diagnosis is partly based on handgrip strength (HGS) assessment. The gold-standard dynamometer for this measurement is the Jamar. The electronic Gripwise is a smaller and lighter one, and its measurements are correlated with the Jamar's in laboratory tests. Our study aimed to confirm this correlation in aged patients. Methods: This monocenter cross-sectional study was performed in patients of 65 years and older admitted at the University Hospital. Participants were assessed either in a seated or bedridden position, randomly allocated to begin the measurements with the Jamar or the Gripwise. Results: Among 649 aged inpatients assessed for eligibility, 348 were included (mean age: 79 +/- 9; 52% females). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-0.94, p <.001) for the maximum value measured with both devices and 0.94 (95% CI 0.93-0.95, p <.001) for the mean values. However, there was a significant difference in detecting low values (<16 kg in women, <27 kg in men), found in 48% of patients with Jamar, and 71% with Gripwise (p <.001). Thus, we determined alternate cutoffs for diagnosing HGS low values with the Gripwise (<12 kg in women, <22 kg in men), further validated in a supplementary validation population (n = 70). The diagnostic performances of these alternative cutoffs were high (93% sensitivity and 87% specificity in women; 94% sensitivity and 96% specificity in men). Conclusions: The correlation of the Gripwise with the Jamar was confirmed in aged inpatients. However, lower values recorded with the Gripwise require alternate cutoffs for a relevant low HGS diagnosis.

Automated summary

This study confirms the correlation between Gripwise and Jamar in assessing handgrip strength in elderly patients. However, lower values recorded with Gripwise require the use of alternate cutoffs for a relevant diagnosis of low handgrip strength.