Faster resting heart rate identified a distinct subgroup of predominantly male subjects who exhibited higher blood pressure, lipid levels, and features of the insulin resistance syndrome.
Observational
Yes
Is a faster resting heart rate associated with higher blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in general and hypertensive populations?
A fast resting heart rate identifies a distinct subgroup of individuals, predominantly men, who exhibit characteristics of the insulin resistance syndrome and higher cardiovascular risk factors.
Faster resting heart rate has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension and a greater incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of heart rate and its relationship with blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in three populations. One European general population (Belgian study), one North American general population (Tecumseh study), and one European hypertensive population (HARVEST trial) were studied. Within each population, mixture analysis was used to investigate whether a mixture of two normal distributions explained the variance in heart rate better than a single distribution. In the men of all populations, mixture analysis identified a larger subpopulation of subjects with normal heart rate and a smaller one with fast heart rate. The subgroups with tachycardia had higher blood pressure and lipid levels than those with normal heart rate. In the populations in which they were measured, fasting insulin and postload glucose were also higher in the men with faster heart rate. A subgroup with tachycardia could also be singled out among the women from Tecumseh, but no relation between heart rate and blood pressure could be found. These findings show that in Western societies, high heart rate pertains to a distinct subgroup of subjects, who are more frequently men and exhibit the characteristic features of the insulin resistance syndrome. Sympathetic overactivity is likely to be the mechanism underlying this clinical condition.
Boudoulas et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Cardiovascular risk. Faster resting heart rate vs. Normal resting heart rate was evaluated on Distribution of heart rate and its relationship with blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors. Faster resting heart rate identified a distinct subgroup of predominantly male subjects who exhibited higher blood pressure, lipid levels, and features of the insulin resistance syndrome.