Relationship between handgrip strength and albuminuria in community-dwelling elderly Japanese subjects: the Shika Study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and albuminuria in the general population of Japan as per sex and age. Methods: This population-based, cross-sectional study enrolled 916 Japanese participants aged ≥40 years. Albuminuria was measured and expressed as the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). Biochemical, nutritional, and anthropometric profiles as well as HGS were measured using standardised protocols. Results: Four hundred and thirty-two (47%) of the study participants were men, and 484 were women, with respective mean ages of 62 ± 11 years and 63 ± 11 years. HGS, older age, high body mass index, presence of hypertension or diabetes, and a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate were correlated with the log-transformed UACR in subjects of both sexes. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that HGS was independently associated with the log UACR in both, men [beta coefficient −0.43; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.73, −0.13] and women (beta coefficient −0.50; 95% CI −0.90, −0.10) aged ≥65 years; however, a similar association was not observed in younger participants. Conclusion: Low HGS was associated with albuminuria in older men and women in Japan.