Association between handgrip strength and heart failure in adults aged 45 years and older from NHANES 2011-2014

Background Growing evidence indicates that handgrip strength (HGS) is a conspicuous marker for assessing some diseases affecting middle-aged and elderly individuals. However, research regarding HGS and heart failure (HF) is sparse and controversial. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between HGS and HF among adults aged 45 years and older in the United States. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we included 4880 adults older than 45 years who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2014). A general linear model was used to estimate the association between HGS and HF. Age, gender, race, income level, education level, body mass index level, smoking status, drinking status, diabetes, hypertension and stroke covariates were adjusted using a multiple regression model. And further subgroup analysis was conducted. Results We documented 206 cases of HF, including 112 men and 94 women. HGS was negatively associated with HF after adjusting for all the covariates (odds ratio = 0.97, 95% confidence interval = 0.96, 0.98; P < 0.001). Compared with the lowest quintile, the highest quintile was associated with an 83% lower incidence of HF (odds ratio = 0.17, 95% confidence interval = 0.07, 0.40; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the results remained stable. Conclusions In US adults older than 45, HGS level was an independent negative correlation with the incidence of HF after adjusting for covariates. Based on our findings, HGS may be a marker for predicting HF in middle-aged and elderly individuals.