Heart rate recovery following maximal exercise testing as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men with diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
Heart rate recovery (HRR) is an independent prognostic indicator for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in healthy men. We examined the association of HRR to CVD-related and all-cause mortality in men with diabetes.


METHODS
In this cohort study we examined 2,333 men with documented diabetes (mean age 49.4 years) that had baseline 5-min HRR measurement following maximal exercise (heart rate(peak) - heart rate(5 min of recovery)) at The Cooper Clinic, Dallas, TX. We identified HRR quartiles as quartile 1 <55, quartile 2 55-66, quartile 3 67-75, and quartile 4 >75 bpm. Hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular and all-cause death were adjusted for age, cardiorespiratory fitness, resting heart rate, fasting blood glucose, BMI, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and history of CVD at baseline.


RESULTS
During a median of 14.9 years follow-up, there were 142 deaths that were considered CVD related and 287 total deaths. Compared with men in the highest quartile of HRR, adjusted HRs in the first, second, and third quartiles were 2.0 (95% CI 1.1-3.8), 1.5 (0.8-2.7), and 1.5 (0.9-2.8), respectively, for cardiovascular death (P for trend < 0.001). Similarly, for all-cause death, adjusted HRs in the first, second, and third quartiles were 2.0 (1.3-3.2), 1.5 (1.0-2.3), and 1.5 (1.1-2.3) (P for trend < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Among men with diabetes, a decreased HRR, even measured as long as 5 min after recovery, was independently predictive of cardiovascular and all-cause death.
Cheng
Yiling J
YJ
Cooper Institute, Center for Epidemiological Research, Dallas, Texas 75230, USA. ycheng@cooperinst.org
Lauer
Michael S
MS
Earnest
Conrad P
CP
Church
Timothy S
TS
Kampert
James B
JB
Gibbons
Larry W
LW
Blair
Steven N
SN
D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors