Handgrip strength in old and oldest old Swiss adults - a cross-sectional study.

This study reports the age- and sex-stratified reference values for handgrip strength in a representative sample of the Swiss population, aged 75-99 years. Although grip strength decreased with advancing age in both sexes; the relative decline was greater in men than women. Nonetheless men had significantly higher grip strength in all age groups. While the Swiss population sampled had greater grip strength than that reported in other European countries, about 50% were still classified as at risk of mobility limitations.