Simple, Low Tech Predictor of Coronary Events in Women

A new study has found that women whose heart rate is higher than 76 beats a minute have a 26% greater risk of a having a heart attack.

Researchers from George Washington University (Washington, DC, USA), the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA, USA), and other institutions conducted a prospective cohort study undertaken at 40 research clinics throughout the United States. A total of 129,135 postmenopausal women were reviewed for a mean 7.8 years of follow-up, and the researchers evaluated associations between resting heart rate and cardiovascular events using Cox regression models, adjusted for multiple covariates. The main outcome measures were clinical cardiovascular events.

The results showed that during the follow-up period, 2,281 of the women were identified with myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary death, and 1,877 were identified with stroke. Higher resting heart rate (over 76 beats per minute) was independently associated with coronary events, when compared to the lowest quintile (less than 62 beats per minute), but not with stroke. The relation between heart rate and coronary events did not differ between white women and women from other ethnic groups, or between women with and women without diabetes, but it was stronger in women aged 50-64 at baseline than in those aged 65-79. The study was published online in the February 3, 2009, issue of BMJ.

"If you divided them into quintiles, there was no increased risk in the first four; I would think of it in terms of a threshold," said lead author Professor Judith Hsia, M.D., of GWU, and colleagues of The Women's Health Initiative. "It's pretty well-established for men that higher heart rates are associated with a higher risk for heart attack; until now, that data has been missing for women."

"Heart rate doesn't seem to matter in younger women, but a higher heart rate in a woman over 50 would indicate a need for the recommended lifestyle modifications needed to prevent cardiovascular problems--a low-fat diet, lower blood pressure, avoiding obesity and more physical activity," concluded Dr. Hsia.

Related Links:
George Washington University
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center