The influence of various smoking statuses on the resting heart rate in a physical examination population with high-normal blood pressure

Background The exact relation between smoking statuses and hypertension in the population with high-normal BP is poorly understood. Objective To investigate the influence of various smoking statuses (active smoking, passive smoking, and non-smoking) on the resting heart rate of the population with high-normal blood pressure. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of patients undergoing physical examination at three Chinese hospitals between January 2018 and December 2019, and who conformed with the criteria of high-normal BP. The subjects were classified into the non-smoking, active smoking and passive smoking groups. The resting heart rate (RHR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured. Results TG, TC, and FBG were significantly higher in the active smoking group than in the two other groups (all P<0.05). HDL-C levels were lower in the active smoking group than in the two other groups (P<0.05). There were significant differences in RHR among the three groups (active: 76.0±10.1 vs. passive: 72.6±5.8 vs. non-smoking: 69.4±4.4 bpm, P<0.01). Active smoking (odds ratio (OR)=5.13, P<0.05), SBP (OR=0.70, P<0.05), HDL-C (OR=0.58, P<0.05), and passive smoking (OR=3.57, P<0.05) were independently associated with increased RHR. ConclusionRHR was higher in subjects with high-normal BP and in the passive and active smoking groups. Strengthening smoking cessation education and avoiding exposure secondary smoke could be beneficial to control the population with high-normal BP.