Handgrip strength as a predictor of 1‑year mortality after hip fracture surgery in the Colombian Andes Mountains

Summary Hip fracture is a public health problem recognized worldwide and a potentially catastrophic threat for older persons, even carrying a demonstrated excess of mortality. Handgrip strength (HGS) has been identified as a predictor of different outcomes (mainly mortality and disability) in several groups with hip fracture. Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the association between low HGS and 1-year mortality in a cohort of older patients over 60 years old with fragility hip fractures who underwent surgery in the Colombian Andes Mountains. Methods A total of 126 patients (median age 81 years, women 77%) with a fragility hip fracture during 2019–2020 were admitted to a tertiary care hospital. HGS was measured using dynamometry upon admission, and data about sociodemographic, clinical and functional, laboratory, and surgical intervention variables were collected. They were followed up until discharge. Those who survived were contacted by telephone at one, three, and 12 months. Bivariate, multivariate, and Kaplan–Meier analyses with survival curves were performed. Results The prevalence of low HGS in the cohort was 71.4%, and these patients were older, had poorer functional and cognitive status, higher comorbidity, higher surgical risk, time from admission to surgery > 72 h, lower hemoglobin and albumin values, and greater intra-hospital mortality at one and three months (all p