Objective: This retrospective study compiled grip strength data of patients with severe anorexia nervosa to assess associations among grip strength, anorexia nervosa severity, depression, and physiological comorbidities. 
Design: 475 patients with severe anorexia nervosa admitted to an inpatient hospital and completed a grip strength assessment at admission and discharge. Depression was diagnosed via clinical interview. Independent sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests compared difference in grip strength and anthropometric measures between anorexia nervosa subtypes. Linear and logistic regressions assessed associations among grip strength, depression, and physiological measures.
Results: The cohort was 91.8% female (M age: 31.8 ± 11.7 years). At admission, patients had an average body mass index of 13.8 ± 2.4 kg/m2 with 97.7% exhibiting impaired right-hand grip strength for their sex and age. Weaker right grip strength was associated with admission lower body mass index, worsening bone mineral density z-scores, and lower serum prealbumin (all p’s<.05) for both sexes. Patients with binge-purge anorexia nervosa had significantly stronger right grip strength (M:19.0 ± 7.8 kg) compared to patients with restricting anorexia nervosa (M:16.9 ± 7.9 kg), p=0.003.
Conclusion: Severe malnutrition from anorexia nervosa was associated with profound deficits in grip strength, medical comorbidities and disease severity, but was not associated with depression.

Grip strength, Anorexia nervosa, Malnourished, Functional mobility