(January 1, 2012 - Insidermedicine)

An increase in resting heart rate over a ten year period may be a sign of elevated risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Here is some information about ischemic heart disease:

•    It is a disease in which fatty deposits build up inside the arteries, narrowing them

•    As a result, blood flow to the heart can become reduced

•    The condition can lead to angina and heart attack

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology measured the resting heart rates of nearly 30,000 adults without known cardiovascular disease on two occasions, each about ten years apart. Subsequently, these participants were followed-up for about a dozen years. The investigators assessed whether changes in participants’ resting heart rates from one measurement to the next were associated with subsequent death rates from ischemic heart disease.

During the follow-up period, 60 participants were lost to follow-up because they left Norway and nearly 400 died from ischemic heart disease. Participants with a resting heart rate of less than 70 beats per minute at both measurement sessions had a very low death rate from ischemic heart disease, and they were used as the baseline group to which other groups were compared. Those who had a resting heart rate of less than 70 beats per minute at the first measurement session that increased to more than 85 beats per minute at the second session were nearly twice as likely to die of ischemic heart disease as this comparison group. Similarly, those with a resting heart rate that was between 70 and 85 beats per minute at the first session that increased to more than 85 beats per minute at the second session were 80% more likely to die from ischemic heart disease as the comparison group. There was no protective benefit of having a resting heart rate that diminished from one measurement point to the next. The link between changes in resting heart rate and overall death rate was similar to that for death from ischemic heart disease, but the association was not as strong.

Today’s research suggests that a change in resting heart rate over time could be used as an easy-to-measure marker of the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease. It should be noted, however, that the absolute increased risk associated with an increasing resting heart rate is quite low.