Heart rate and ischemic stroke: The reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke (REGARDS) study

Wesley T. O'Neal, Waqas T. Qureshi, Suzanne E. Judd, James F. Meschia, Virginia J. Howard, George Howard, Elsayed Z. Soliman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: The association between resting heart rate and ischemic stroke remains unclear.Aim: To examine the association between resting heart rate and ischemic stroke.Methods: A total of 24 730 participants (mean age: 64 ± 9·3 years; 59% women; 41% blacks) from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who were free of stroke at the time of enrollment (2003-2007) were included in this analysis. Resting heart rate was determined from baseline electrocardiogram data. Heart rate was examined as a continuous variable per 10 bpm increase and also as a categorical variable using tertiles (<61 bpm, 61 to 70 bpm, and >70 bpm). First-time ischemic stroke events were identified during follow-up and adjudicated by physician review.Results: Over a median follow-up of 7·6 years, a total of 646 ischemic strokes occurred. In a Cox regression model adjusted for socio-demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and potential confounders, each 10 bpm increase in heart rate was associated with a 10% increase in the risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio = 1·10, 95% confidence interval = 1·02, 1·18). In the categorical model, an increased risk of ischemic stroke was observed for heart rates in the middle (hazard ratio = 1·29, 95% confidence interval = 1·06, 1·57) and upper (hazard ratio = 1·37, 95% confidence interval = 1·12, 1·67) tertiles compared with the lower tertile. The results were consistent when the analysis was stratified by age, gender, race, exercise habits, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.Conclusion: In REGARDS, high resting heart rates were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke compared with low heart rates. Further research is needed to examine whether interventions aimed to reduce heart rate decrease stroke risk.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1229-1235
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Stroke
Volume10
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2015

Keywords

  • Epidemiology
  • heart rate
  • stroke

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Heart rate and ischemic stroke: The reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke (REGARDS) study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this