Hand grip strength and diabetic foot ulcers: A mini-review
Abstract
This narrative mini-review article aimed to discuss the emerging association between hand grip strength (HGS) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). HGS is related to muscle strength and conditions such as sarcopenia. However, it can be utilized as a confirmative evaluation test of sarcopenia after initial screening tools such as the SARC-F questionnaire. Diabetes mellitus (DM) seems to be related to sarcopenia and skeletal muscle mass loss. In this narrative mini-review article, it was demonstrated that older type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects with DFUs had a higher rate of low HGS, while low HGS was significantly related to the occurrence of DFUs. Additionally, HGS might be a significant predictor not only of wound healing but also of the overall survival of DFU subjects and the likelihood of amputation. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to enable definitive conclusions and suggest potential practical implications.