Handgrip strength test as a complementary tool in monitoring asthma in daily clinical practice in children.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that handgrip strength test can discriminate the presence/absence of asthma and between intermittent and moderate persistent asthma in children. 140 children (70 healthy and 70 with asthma) completed the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and performed the handgrip strength test. Forty-eight hours later, subjects performed spirometry. The results showed Handgrip strength was significantly lower (p<0.001) in children with asthma compared with healthy ones. There were also significant differences (p= 0.024) according to the severity of the disease; children with moderate persistent asthma performed worse than children with intermittent asthma. Binary logistic regression analysis and ROC curve analysis revealed that the result in handgrip strength test was a predictive factor for asthma (cut-off at 16.84 kg) and for severity of pathology (cut-off at 15.06 kg). Handgrip strength was reduced in children with asthma. Handgrip strength was positively associated with lung capacity and quality of life. The fact that the handgrip strength test was able to discriminate between presence/absence of asthma and between intermittent and moderate persistent asthma in children suggested that this test could be used as a complementary tool in the monitoring of asthma in daily clinical practice.