title: Resting heart rate and coronary artery calcium in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis of a significant association between resting heart rate (RHR) and coronary artery calcium (CAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study of a subset of women enrolled in the estrogen-alone clinical trial of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). We used a longitudinal study that enrolled 998 postmenopausal women with a history of hysterectomy between the ages of 50 and 59 at enrollment at 40 different clinical centers. RHR was measured at enrollment and throughout the study, and CAC was determined approximately 7 years after the baseline clinic visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 55 (2.8) years. With adjustment for age and ethnicity, a 10-unit increment in RHR was significantly associated with CAC (SD 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.38), but this was no longer significant after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), income, education, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and hypertension (SD 1.06, 95% CI 0.90-1.25). In a fully adjusted multivariable model, however, there was a significant interaction (p=0.03) between baseline RHR and systolic blood pressure (SBP) for the presence of any CAC. Compared to women with an RHR < 80 beats per minute (BPM) and an SBP < 140 mm Hg, those who had an RHR ≥ 80 BPM and an SBP ≥ 140 mm Hg had 2.66-fold higher odds (1.08-6.57) for the presence of any CAC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to those with normal BP and RHR, postmenopausal, hysterectomized women with an elevated SBP and RHR have a significantly higher odds for the presence of calcified coronary artery disease.
authors: University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0965, USA. mallison@ucsd.edu
authors: Matthew A
authors: MA
authors: Allison
authors: Joann E
authors: JE
authors: Manson
authors: Aaron
authors: A
authors: Aragaki
authors: Charles B
authors: CB
authors: Eaton
authors: Judith
authors: J
authors: Hsai
authors: Lawrence
authors: L
authors: Phillips
authors: Lewis
authors: L
authors: Kuller
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Trevisan
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017698:Postmenopause; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012146:Rest; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium