title: Elevated Resting Heart Rate Is Associated with Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese Population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elevated resting heart rate predicts poor cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes. Atherosclerosis may be a mediator linking this relationship. In a Chinese population, we investigated whether resting heart rate was associated with carotid atherosclerosis as indicated by elevated carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and presence of carotid plaque.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1557 participants older than 50 years old from a community-based population without known cardiovascular diseases were included. All participants provided detailed lifestyle and medical information, and blood samples for biochemical measurements. The participants were categorized according to resting heart rate quartiles (<67, 67-73, 74-81, >81 beats per minute [bpm]). CIMT and presence of carotid plaque were determined using B-mode ultrasonography. Elevated CIMT was defined as the upper quartile of CIMT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed positively graded associations between resting heart rate quartiles and carotid atherosclerosis. Participants with resting heart rates higher than 81 bpm had an odds ratio of 2.82 (95% confidence interval 1.92-4.13) for elevated CIMT, and an odds ratio of 2.00 (1.36-2.92) for carotid plaque, compared to participants with resting heart rates lower than 67 bmp. Each 10-bpm increase in resting heart rate was associated with an odds ratio of 1.47 (1.29-1.68) for elevated CIMT and an odds ratio of 1.40 (1.23-1.60) for carotid plaque. The associations were independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated resting heart rate was strongly and independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. Atherosclerosis may be a potential mediator between resting heart rate and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Second Medical School of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: pitx_3@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound Diagnosis, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Bu-Gao
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Second Medical School of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Second Medical School of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Resting heart rate; carotid atherosclerosis; carotid intima–media thickness; carotid plaque