The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology recently published research demonstrating that a higher level of quadriceps isometric strength (QIS) was strongly associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure (HF) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Researchers studied the relationship between QIS and the risk of developing HF in patients with ACS using HF admissions as the endpoint. QIS is a skeletal muscle strength indicator, and study authors classified 1,053 patients with ACS without prior HF into either a high or low QIS category. There was a significant difference among the two groups in that a high QIS was associated with a lower risk of heart failure (hazard ratio: 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.32–0.87).
In their own words: Authors say: “The results of our study suggest the benefit of assessing skeletal muscle strength in addition to basic attributes, coronary risk factors, and cardiac and renal function to assess the risk of developing HF after ACS.”