Handgrip strength as an instrument for assessing the risk of malnutrition and inflammation in hemodialysis patients

INDRODUCTION: Establishing which parameters to use for diagnosing malnutrition in hemodialysis patients is a challenge in clinical practice. The handgrip strength (HGS) has stood out as a method of assessing nutritional status. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the cut-off point for HGS in the assessment of the risk of malnutrition and inflammation in HD patients, and its association with other parameters. METHODS: Study carried out in hemodialysis units in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. We obtained the cut-off point of the HGS through the ROC curve, using the malnutrition and inflammation score (MIS) as a reference. We checked the relationship (Odds ratio) between the variables “MIS” and “HGS” with the other study variables using the multivariate analysis (logistic regression). RESULTS: We assessed 238 patients (132 men), between 18 and 87 years of age (median = 59). The HGS cut-off point for diagnosing malnutrition and inflammation according to the reference used was <14.5 kg for women, and <23.5 kg for men. According to the HGS criteria, malnourished patients were older (OR = 0.958), with lower arm circumference (OR = 1.328) and higher scores in the malnutrition and inflammation score (OR = 0.85). CONCLUSION: HGS was significantly correlated with other nutritional assessment parameters. These results suggest that HGS is a valid screening tool to identify the risk of malnutrition and inflammation in hemodialysis patients.