Handgrip strength and body composition in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A cross-section study.

The prevalence of excess weight (overweight and obesity) by BMI/age was high in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

• 54.5% of patients had excess weight as classified by BMI/age
• The study included 44 patients with a median age of 10.1 (8.5–11.9) years
• Patients were aged 5 to 18 years and diagnosed at least 1 month prior to evaluation
• This was a cross-sectional, multicenter study design

Median handgrip strength and quality of life scores were 14 kgf and 75 points, respectively, in the study population.

• Median HGS was 14 (9.1–18) kgf
• Median QoL assessment was 75 (66.3–81.2) points
• Sample consisted of 44 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Arm perimeter, arm muscle area (AMA), and arm muscle perimeter (AMP) were strongly positively correlated with handgrip strength.

• Correlation between HGS and arm perimeter: r = 0.703, P < 0.001
• Correlation between HGS and AMA: r = 0.814, P < 0.001
• Correlation between HGS and AMP: r = 0.815, P < 0.001
• These represented the strongest correlations observed among all variables tested

There was no significant correlation between handgrip strength and quality of life score.

• Correlation coefficient between HGS and QoL score: r = 0.059
• P = 0.704, indicating no statistically significant association
• This finding did not support the hypothesis that low QoL is associated with low HGS in this population

Age, weight, height, arm perimeter, AMA, AMP, and BMI/age differed significantly according to the lowest tertile of handgrip strength.

• Medians of all these variables were compared across tertiles of HGS
• Significant differences were found specifically between patients in the lowest tertile of HGS and those in higher tertiles
• This analysis helped identify anthropometric variables most associated with lower muscular performance

AMA, AMP, and age showed positive associations with handgrip strength across all quantiles in multiple quantile regression models.

• Multiple quantile regression models were used to evaluate relationships between independent variables and HGS
• AMA, AMP, and age maintained positive associations at all quantiles analyzed
• Associations with P < 0.05 were considered significant
• These findings highlight the importance of body composition and age as factors associated with muscular performance

BMI showed a negative association with handgrip strength outcome in all quantiles analyzed.

• The negative association between BMI and HGS was consistent across all quantiles in the multiple quantile regression models
• This suggests that higher BMI (reflecting excess weight) was associated with lower relative handgrip strength
• The finding contrasts with the positive associations seen for muscle-specific measures such as AMA and AMP