Del Brutto, Oscar HMera, Robertino MPérez, PedroRecalde, Bettsy YCosta, Aldo FSedler, Mark J2023-02-092023-02-092021-06-19http://hdl.handle.net/10668/17997To assess the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and decreased hand grip strength (HGS). Longitudinal population-based study. Community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥60 years) living in a rural Ecuadorian village struck by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Of 282 enrolled individuals, 254 (90%) finished the study. HGS was measured 3 months before (January 2020) and 9 months after the introduction of the virus into the population (January 2021). SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing was performed in two rounds: in May-June (early) and September-November (late), 2020. An independent association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and HGS decline was assessed by fitting linear mixed models for longitudinal data. Changes in HGS scores in SARS-CoV-2 seropositive subjects, according to the time elapsed since seroconversion, were compared with those who remained seronegative. Overall, 149 (59%) individuals became seropositive for SARS-CoV-2. The mean HGS (in kg) was 25.3 ± 8.3 at baseline and 23.7 ± 8.1 at follow-up (p = 0.028), with 140 individuals having >5% HGS decline between both measurements. The follow-up HGS measurement decreased by 1.72 kg in seropositive individuals, and by 0.57 kg in their seronegative counterparts (p 5% HGS decline between both measurements. The follow-up HGS measurement decreased by 1.72 kg in seropositive individuals, and by 0.57 kg in their seronegative counterparts (p 5% HGS decline at the time of the follow-up than those with later, i.e., more recent, infections. This study shows an independent deleterious impact of SARS-CoV-2 on HGS that is more marked among individuals with infections that occurred more than 8 months before follow-up HGS. Results suggest the possibility of chronic damage to skeletal muscles by SARS-CoV-2.enCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2hand gripolder adultsrural communitiesAftercareAgedCOVID-19COVID-19 Serological TestingEcuadorFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHand StrengthHealth Services for the AgedHumansIndependent LivingLongitudinal StudiesMaleRural PopulationSARS-CoV-2Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndromeresearch article34124775open access10.1111/jgs.173351532-5415PMC8447376https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8447376https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8447376/pdf