Introduction:
Elevated resting heart rate (RHR) has been shown to be associated with both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Prior studies have provided conflicting estimates of the strength of each association. To explore the relationship between RHR and competing mortality risks, we sought to compare the association between RHR and cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality among participants in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT).
Methods:
Eligible SPRINT participants had baseline RHR, longitudinal follow-up, and were not using beta blockers or non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. Mortality was classified by a treatment-blinded adjudication committee as cardiovascular if secondary to coronary heart disease, stroke, sudden cardiac death, or congestive heart failure. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality, separately, associated with a 10 beats per minute increase in RHR.
Results:
Among 5,571 eligible SPRINT participants (67.1 ± 9.4 years, 33.8% female, 63.8% white, mean RHR 70.4±11.8 beats per minute) over a median 3.8 years of follow-up, there were 56 cardiovascular deaths and 176 non-cardiovascular deaths. In models adjusted for age, sex, race, prior cardiovascular disease, smoking, systolic blood pressure, creatinine, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and trial treatment assignment, higher RHR (per ten beat-per-minute increase) was associated with both cardiovascular (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.35) and non-cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.13-1.43).
Conclusions:
Elevated RHR was associated with both cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality, suggesting that RHR may serve as a marker of both global health rather and cardiovascular health. Higher RHR may reflect imbalance in autonomic tone and further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms of these associations.4
Impact of resting heart rate on cardiovascular mortality according to serum albumin levels in a 24-year follow-up study on a general Japanese population: NIPPON DATA80
