Handgrip Strength Thresholds are Associated With Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS) in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

Objective: The aim is to verify the association between nutritional status and muscle strength, considering handgrip strength (HGS) cutoffs associated with sarcopenia and mortality.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis, including hemodialysis patients. Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS) was used to assess nutritional status. Muscle function was assessed by HGS, and the considered cutoffs were established by other studies. Cutoffs for sarcopenia diagnosis were 27 and 16 kg for males and females, respectively; cutoffs associated with mortality were 22 and 7 kg for males and females, respectively. Two binary logistic regression models were built, with HGS categorized according to the cutoff for sarcopenia and mortality as dependent variables.

Results: Of the 218 patients who were included, 56.9% were male, the mean age was 58.3 years, and 44.7% diabetic; 132 patients (60.6%) had HGS <27 or 16 kg. Age, prevalence of diabetes, and MIS were higher, creatinine and albumin were lower in patients with HGS below these values; 77 patients (35.2%) had HGS <22 or 7 kg. Age, male, and diabetes prevalence, CRP and MIS were higher, midarm muscle circumference (MAMC), creatinine, albumin, and urea were lower in patients with HGS below these values. In the logistic regression MIS (OR 1.202; 95% CI 1.073-1.347; P < .01), age, male, diabetes, and MAMC were associated with the risk of HGS below the cutoffs for sarcopenia. MIS (OR 1.322; 95% CI 1.192-1.467; P < .01), age, male, and diabetes were associated with the risk of HGS below the cutoffs associated with mortality.

Conclusion: Worse nutritional status increases the risk of HGS below the cutoffs associated with sarcopenia and mortality in hemodialysis patients.