Inflammation appeared to be associated with greater loss of muscle strength .
There was inconclusive evidence that the level of physical activity affects change in skeletal muscle .
In regard to the effect of interventions , only exercise interventions were consistently associated with improved skeletal muscle outcomes .
CONCLUSIONS Adult patients who undergo an unplanned hospital admission may experience a small reduction in knee extension strength and mid-arm muscle mass .
OBJECTIVES The primary objective of the review was to describe change that occurs in skeletal muscle during periods of unplanned hospitalisation in adult patients .
The secondary objective was to examine the relationship between both physical activity and inflammation with the change in skeletal muscle .
A further objective was to investigate the effect of interventions on change in skeletal muscle during periods of unplanned hospitalisation .
Handgrip strength shows no improvements in geriatric patients with persistent inflammation during hospitalization
Purpose : Hospital‐associated deconditioning due to a combination of illness and inactivity is a serious problem for elderly adults . Here we investigate whether persistence in inflammatory status affects changes in physical function during short‐term hospitalization . Methods : This was a prospect i ve observational study in elderly medical patients at a geriatric department . Measurements were obtained at admission and one week after admission and included  de Morton Mobility Index ( DEMMI ) test , 30‐second chair st and test ( 30‐s CST ) , 4‐m gait speed ( 4‐m GST ) test , h and grip strength , activity levels determined with ActivPALs  , and concentrations of circulating C‐reactive protein ( CRP ) from blood sample s. Only patients with inflammation ( C‐reactive protein levels ≥ 10 mg·L− 1 ) at admission were included in this study . They were divided into those with continued inflammation ( CI : CRP remained ≥ 10 mg·L− 1 ) and those that became non‐inflammatory ( BN : CRP decreased to < 10 mg·L− 1 ) after one week of admission . Results : On admission 214 patients ( 67 % female ) with a median ( IQR ) age of 86 ( 81–91 ) years were categorized as inflammatory . There were no baseline differences in physical function between CI ( n = 138 , 67 % female ) and BN ( n = 76 , 68 % female ) . DEMMI‐score increased similarly in both groups ( P < 0.05 ) . When normalized to days between tests , only changes in h and grip strength were significantly different between the CI‐ and BN‐group ( − 0.05 [ − 0.27–0.28 ] vs. 0.16 [ − 0.10–0.41 ] kg·day− 1 , respectively , P < 0.01 ) . There was a positive association between changes in CRP and length of hospital stay ( rs = 0.30 , P < 0.001 ) . Conclusion : Hospitalized geriatric patients admitted with inflammation  showed only moderate improvement of general mobility during hospital stay , regardless of changes in their inflammatory status . However , h and grip strength increased only in those patients who became non‐inflammatory during hospitalization . HighlightsHospital‐associated deconditioning is a serious problem for elderly adults . We examined changes in physical function and inflammation in geriatric patients .We included 214 patients with inflammation on admission . H and grip strength improved only in the patients that became non‐inflammatory . Continuous inflammation may attenuate recovery of muscle strength
Inflammation appeared to be associated with greater loss of muscle strength .
There was inconclusive evidence that the level of physical activity affects change in skeletal muscle .
In regard to the effect of interventions , only exercise interventions were consistently associated with improved skeletal muscle outcomes .
CONCLUSIONS Adult patients who undergo an unplanned hospital admission may experience a small reduction in knee extension strength and mid-arm muscle mass .
OBJECTIVES The primary objective of the review was to describe change that occurs in skeletal muscle during periods of unplanned hospitalisation in adult patients .
The secondary objective was to examine the relationship between both physical activity and inflammation with the change in skeletal muscle .
A further objective was to investigate the effect of interventions on change in skeletal muscle during periods of unplanned hospitalisation .