Women's resting pulse predicts heart event

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The measurement of resting pulse predicts coronary events in women independent of physical activity or risk factors like smoking, U.S. researchers said.

Judith Hsia of George Washington University in Washington and colleagues assessed resting heart rate in 129,135 postmenopausal women with no history of heart problems.

Risk factors that might be expected to affect heart rate, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, smoking and alcohol intake were taken into account at the start of the study.

The women were monitored for an average of 7.8 years, during which 2,281 coronary events -- heart attacks and coronary deaths -- and 1,877 strokes occurred.

Women with the highest resting heart rate -- more than 76 beats per minute -- were significantly more likely to suffer a coronary event than women with the lowest resting heart rate -- 62 beats per minute or less.

Analysis showed this association was independent of physical activity, did not differ between white and minority women, or those with or without diabetes, but was stronger in women 50- to 64 years of age than among women 65 years or older.

The findings are published in the British Medical Journal.