Handgrip Evaluation Before and After Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapy in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Introduction Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a systemic disease characterized by skeletal muscle dysfunction, leading to increased morbidity and mortality and deteriorating quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation therapy improves symptoms and long-term adherence. This study aimed to evaluate how COPD patients respond to pulmonary rehabilitation therapy and its correlation with handgrip strength measurements. Materials and methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in patients over 45 years old with a spirometric diagnosis of COPD from a specialized reference center in Bucaramanga. Handgrip strength was measured before and after completing the pulmonary rehabilitation program. Patients with neurological or cognitive impairments, decompensated cardiovascular disease, nutritional diseases, or those in a telerehabilitation program were excluded. Results Seventy-one patients were included in the study, with 66.2% completing follow-up after the program. The average age was 73.38 years (SD +/- 7.77), 53.52% were women, and 60.56% had a history of smoking. After the follow-up, the average handgrip strength delta was 1.64 kg (SD +/- 3.48) p<0.001, 74.47% of them representing a positive result after pulmonary rehabilitation program. A higher Charlson index correlated with a positive delta, while a negative delta correlated with a lower Charlson index (p=0.01). A positive handgrip strength delta was associated with higher baseline quality of life scores. Conclusions Periodic handgrip strength measurements predict frailty and muscle dysfunction in COPD patients. Pulmonary rehabilitation therapy is a simple and cost-effective intervention that correlates with the improvement of indirect prognosis and survival indicators.