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Background <p>Peak oxygen uptake (VO<sub>2peak</sub>) is the gold standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness, but many patients with stroke cannot complete maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) due to motor impairments. This study aimed to explore indicators correlated with VO<sub>2peak</sub> and to investigate preliminary screening approaches for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with subacute stroke.</p> Methods <p>This was a cross-sectional study. The study was registered on 2 July 2020. Participants were male patients with ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes, who were hospitalised in the Rehabilitation Department of Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital between August 2020 and March 2023. Handgrip strength (HS) on the affected side and unaffected side was measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer. VO<sub>2peak</sub> was measured using a cardiopulmonary exercise test system. Univariate and ​theory-driven forced-entry multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between participant characteristics and VO<sub>2peak</sub>.</p> Results <p>A total of 116 male patients with subacute stroke (mean age: 52 years) were included in the analysis. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the weight-adjusted HS on the unaffected side was independently associated with VO<sub>2peak</sub>. A combination of age, body surface area, Barthel Index, key clinical variables (disease duration and hypertension), and submaximal CPET indicators (anaerobic threshold, oxygen uptake efficiency slope, minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope) explained 73.6% of the variance in VO<sub>2peak</sub>. The addition of weight-adjusted HS on the unaffected side increased the explained variance to 74.8%.</p> Conclusions <p>Submaximal exercise testing may offer an alternative approach for evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with stroke who are unable to perform maximal testing. HS assessment could serve as a preliminary screening tool for estimating aerobic capacity in patients with stroke, particularly in resource-limited settings, or may complement CPET parameters in tracking rehabilitation outcomes.</p> Trial registration <p>The study protocol was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000035308, Registration date: August 7, 2020, <a href="https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=57565">https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=57565</a>).</p>

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Handgrip strength associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in male patients with subacute stroke: a cross-sectional study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月25日

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  • Mingchao Zhou,
  • Yuan Chen,
  • Fubin Zha,
  • Meiling Huang,
  • Jun Feng,
  • Shaohua Zhang,
  • Jiao Luo,
  • Qiu Zhang,
  • Xun Luo,
  • Qingmei Wang,
  • Yulong Wang,
  • Linlin Shan

摘要

Background

Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) is the gold standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness, but many patients with stroke cannot complete maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) due to motor impairments. This study aimed to explore indicators correlated with VO2peak and to investigate preliminary screening approaches for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with subacute stroke.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. The study was registered on 2 July 2020. Participants were male patients with ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes, who were hospitalised in the Rehabilitation Department of Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital between August 2020 and March 2023. Handgrip strength (HS) on the affected side and unaffected side was measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer. VO2peak was measured using a cardiopulmonary exercise test system. Univariate and ​theory-driven forced-entry multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between participant characteristics and VO2peak.

Results

A total of 116 male patients with subacute stroke (mean age: 52 years) were included in the analysis. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the weight-adjusted HS on the unaffected side was independently associated with VO2peak. A combination of age, body surface area, Barthel Index, key clinical variables (disease duration and hypertension), and submaximal CPET indicators (anaerobic threshold, oxygen uptake efficiency slope, minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope) explained 73.6% of the variance in VO2peak. The addition of weight-adjusted HS on the unaffected side increased the explained variance to 74.8%.

Conclusions

Submaximal exercise testing may offer an alternative approach for evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with stroke who are unable to perform maximal testing. HS assessment could serve as a preliminary screening tool for estimating aerobic capacity in patients with stroke, particularly in resource-limited settings, or may complement CPET parameters in tracking rehabilitation outcomes.

Trial registration

The study protocol was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000035308, Registration date: August 7, 2020, https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=57565).