Measuring a woman's heart rate at rest can help predict her risk of heart attack or dying from heart disease, giving doctors a simple, inexpensive way to monitor health risks. Postmenopausal women who had the highest resting heart rate were 26 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest rates.
Previous studies have linked resting heart rate to such problems in men but the relationship has been less certain for women, in part because trials did not include enough women to get a statistically significant result.
Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. It is caused by fatty deposits that harden and block arteries, high blood pressure which damages blood vessels, and other factors.
Resting heart rate measures beats per minute after sitting still to gauge how well the heart works when not stressed. Women with resting heart rates of more than 76 beats per minute were found to be 26 per cent more likely to have a heart attack or die from heart disease than those with heart rates of 62 beats per minute or lower.
"People have to put in perspective that it is not as much as smoking but it is still a clinically meaningful amount."
Researchers compensated for factors known to increase heart attack and disease risk such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and drinking, and monitored the women for an average of nearly eight years.
Although resting heart rate is usually lower among people who are physically fit. The measurement could help predict heart attack risk for women regardless of how much they exercise. Researchers said they found no correlation between resting heart rate and stroke.
Reference: Indian Express
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