Predictive value of resting heart rate for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
BACKGROUND
Resting heart rate (which ranges from 60 to 80 bpm) is one of the simplest cardiovascular parameters, and has been considered as a predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the predictive value of resting heart rate (RHR) before exercise stress testing (ET) for cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality.


METHODS
This was a case-control study using data from the database of the Exercise Testing Laboratory of a cardiac hospital and the death records of the Health Department of a city located in the South of Brazil from January 1995 to June 2007. A total of 7,055 patients were studied; 1,645 (23.3%) in the case group (deceased) and 5,410 (76.7%) in the control group (alive). The cut-off value of RHR for mortality was derived from the ROC curve, and a multivariate analysis was performed for the selected variables. The study's outcome measures were cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.


RESULTS
Six hundred and seventy-four patients died of cardiovascular diseases (9.5%); the cut-off value was RHR ≥ 78 bpm). After adjusting for selected variables, the odds ratio (OR) of RHR ≥ 78 bpm was 3.5 (95% CI 2.9 to 4.2) for CV mortality and 3.6 (95% CI 3.2 to 4.0) for all-cause mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Resting heart rate ≥ 78 is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil.
Jaqueline Eilert
JE
Fagundes
Iran
I
Castro
D017677:Age Distribution; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors