title: Resting heart rate, mortality and future coronary heart disease in the elderly: the 3C Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between resting heart rate (RHR) and mortality and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data derived from the Three-City Study, a French multicentre prospective study including 9294 community-dwelling elderly subjects aged ≥65 years at baseline examination between 1999 and 2001. The study population comprised 7147 participants (61% women) who were free of a pacemaker or any cardiac arrhythmias at baseline. RHR was measured twice at baseline in a seated position using an electronic tensiometer. Participants were then followed up bi-annually for vascular morbidity and mortality over 6 years. CHD events and cardiovascular death were adjudicated by an independent expert committee.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 6 years of follow-up, 615 subjects died including 17.9% from cardiovascular causes. Subjects from the top quintile of RHR (>79 bpm) had respectively a 74% (95% CI, 1.3-2.3), a 87% (95% CI: 0.98-3.6, p = 0.06) and a 72% (95% CI, 1.3-2.3) increased risk of total, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality compared to those from the lowest quintile (<62 bpm), after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and beta-blocker (BB) use in a Cox regression analysis. Associations with total mortality were consistent according to age, gender, BB use, diabetes and hypertension status (all p values for interaction >0.10). Conversely, RHR was not predictive of incident CHD (n = 228 events; top vs lowest quintile: HR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.6-1.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RHR is an independent risk marker of mortality but not of incident CHD events in community-dwelling elderly. Its routine measurement may help identify those who are at increased risk of mortality in the short term.
authors: INSERM U970, Paris V University, Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC), Paris, France. camille.legeai@gmail.com
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Legeai
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Jouven
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Tafflet
authors: J F
authors: JF
authors: Dartigues
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Helmer
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Ritchie
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Amouyel
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Tzourio
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Ducimetière
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Empana
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014505:Urban Population