| Summary: | Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is estimated to affect approximately 8%–10% of all adults. The disease is considered to be a heterogenic syndrome with systemic effects, in which comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, muscle dysfunction and fatigue are common. The majority of all individuals with COPD have mild to moderate disease (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 1-2), and only a third are identified by health care, and this under-diagnosis contributes to a lack of knowledge of COPD in the population. COPD is related to skeletal muscle dysfunction, where muscle weakness, frequently assessed with hand grip strength (HGS), is one of the components. Evidence of postural control limitations among individuals with severe or very severe COPD has been emerging during the last decade. These limitations are partly related to muscle weakness, however, research of the other underlying systems of postural control is scarce, and an increased knowledge is of importance for the prevention of falls. Aim The main objective of the thesis was to increase the population-based knowledge about muscle strength, assessed as hand grip strength, and also postural control among individuals with and without COPD. Another objective was to investigate the value of hand grip strength measurements in relation to lower limb muscle strength and postural control among community-dwelling older adults. Methods Paper I and II are based on the population-based Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) COPD study. All individuals with obstructive lung function impairment (n=993) and an age- and sex-matched group without (n=993) (COPD and non-COPD) were identified after re-examination of population based cohorts during 2002-04. They (n=1,986) have been invited to recurrent examinations including structured interviews and spirometry. Paper I (n=1011) and II (n=831) include data from examinations during 2009-2010 and 2014, respectively, where measurements of HGS (Paper I & II) as ...
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