Korean J Health Promot.  2019 Sep;19(3):121-127. 10.15384/kjhp.2019.19.3.121.

The Association between Resting Heart Rate and Arterial Stiffness in Men

• Doo SH
• Choi HJ
• Park SB
• Jung D
• Shim YN
• Oh HJ

• KMID: 2459992
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2019.19.3.121

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Early detection of vascular change may improve prediction of subclinical stage of cardiovascular disease, allowing intervention to prevent overt vascular damage. High heart rate is known to increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rate in the general population and in individuals with cardiovascular disease. We aimed to investigate the association between resting heart rate (RHR) measured using electrocardiogram (ECG) and arterial stiffness measured using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in men.
METHODS
Data were collected from 5,629 men aged between 20 and 78 years who visited a single-site health promotion center. RHR was measured in a supine posture after resting for 10 minutes using an ECG. Arterial stiffness was measured using the CAVI. The cutoff value for high CAVI was ≥9.0.
RESULTS
RHR was one of the major determinants of high CAVI after adjusting for age, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin level, triglyceride level, white blood cell count, and lifestyle factors. When RHR groups were defined according to the RHR quartiles, the odds ratio of group with RHR ≥70 bpm, for high CAVI was 3.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.21-5.91) after adjusting for age and lifestyle factors. This association was not changed after adjusting for all other covariates (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.36-4.19).
CONCLUSIONS
RHR measured using ECG is significantly associated with arterial stiffness in men not taking medications for hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes. These findings suggest that RHR may be useful in assessing cardiovascular risk in men.

Keyword

Arteriosclerosis; Heart rate; Vascular stiffness; Risk assessment

MeSH Terms

Arterial Pressure
Arteriosclerosis
Cardiovascular Diseases
Dyslipidemias
Electrocardiography
Health Promotion
Heart Rate*
Heart*
Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated
Humans
Hypertension
Leukocyte Count
Life Style
Male
Mortality
Odds Ratio
Posture
Risk Assessment
Triglycerides
Vascular Stiffness*
Waist Circumference

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