Handgrip Strength Relative to Estimated Skeletal Muscle Mass and Threshold-Defined Physical Performance in Biochemically Controlled Acromegaly: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Muscle quantity, strength, and performance may not change in parallel in acromegaly. We compared absolute handgrip strength, estimated skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and handgrip strength relative to SMM (analyzed continuously) by threshold-defined gait and chair-stand impairment.

Methods

This cross-sectional study of 76 adults with biochemically controlled acromegaly estimated SMM as 0.566 × bioimpedance-derived fat-free mass; gait (≤0.8 m/s) and chair-stand (>15 s) results were binary. Six full-cohort exact permutation comparisons (Holm-adjusted) formed the primary analysis. As no men met either threshold, a post hoc women-only sensitivity analysis was added.