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Resting heart rate as a low tech predictor of coronary events in women: prospective cohort study
Abstract
Objective
To evaluate resting heart rate as an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk in women.Design
Prospective cohort study.Setting
The Women's Health Initiative was undertaken at 40 research clinics in the United States.Participants
129 135 postmenopausal women.Main outcome measure
Clinical cardiovascular events.Results
During a mean of 7.8 (SD 1.6) years of follow up, 2281 women were identified with myocardial infarction or coronary death and 1877 with stroke. We evaluated associations between resting heart rate and cardiovascular events in Cox regression models adjusted for multiple covariates. Higher resting heart rate was independently associated with coronary events (hazard ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.42 for highest [>76 beats per minute] v lowest quintile [ConclusionResting heart rate, a low tech and inexpensive measure of autonomic tone, independently predicts myocardial infarction or coronary death, but not stroke, in women.Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00000611.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.