Background and Objective: As an antioxidant, uric acid may play an important role in preventing the decline of muscle strength and mass in the elderly. The results of studies conducted to date have not been conclusive and have mostly focused on the relationship between handgrip strength and serum uric acid levels. The aim of this study is to determine the association between serum uric acid levels and hand and quadriceps muscle strength in the elderly.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Aging Project (AHAP) cohort study, which was conducted randomly on 800 elderly individuals. Hand muscle strength was measured using a digital hand dynamometer, and quadriceps muscle strength was measured using a handheld dynamometer, which was secured on one side by a band above the ankle and on the other side by a spring scale attached beneath the chair, in kilograms. Serum uric acid levels were measured using an autoanalyzer in milligrams per deciliter.
Findings: The mean age of the study participants was 69.74±7.14 years; 448 (56%) of the elderly were male and 352 (44%) were female. In this study, with increasing serum uric acid levels, the mean hand and quadriceps muscle strength increased significantly (p<0.001). The results of multivariate linear regression analysis showed that serum uric acid level did not have a significant effect on hand muscle strength, but it did have a significant effect on quadriceps muscle strength, both overall (p=0.021) and in elderly women (p=0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that with increasing serum uric acid levels, hand and quadriceps muscle strength increases, although in the adjusted model, this positive effect was present only on quadriceps muscle strength in elderly women.