Relationship between heart rate and patients with type 2 diabetes death

Objective. To analyze the associations of resting heart rate with the risk of all-cause death in the Siberian cohort of persons aged 45—69 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Material and methods. The follow-up group included 571 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): 205 males (35.9%) and 366 females (64.1%). The follow-up period—from 2003—2005 to December 31, 2019—averaged 13.6±3.9 years, with a median of 15.0 years. Fatal events were recorded based on information from the medical certificate of death (form No. 106/y) according to the registry office. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to determine the independent association of heart rate (HR) with a fatal event over a 15-year follow-up period. The studied associations were adjusted for a wide range of «traditional» cardiovascular risk factors. Statistical data were processed using the SPSS software package (v.13.0; v.23.0). Results. In the sex-combined cohort with T2DM, the hazard ratio of overall death within 15 years was positively associated with a heart rate ≥80/min. In the sex- and age-controlled model, the hazard ratio (HR) was 3.286 (95% CI 1.911—5.651), and in the multiple covariate model, it was 1.543 (95% CI 1.116—2.133). For males with T2DM, a heart rate ≥80 bpm was a significant risk factor for all-cause death, HR=2.773 (1.739—4.423). For females with T2DM, this association was not identified. Conclusion. Heart rate ≥80 bpm in males with type 2 diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for all-cause death.