Increased resting heart rate and glucose metabolism in a community population

Objective Resting heart rate (RHR) independently predicts cardiovascular death. Increased RHR is related to chronic diseases, but community-based studies are rare. We investigated this population and factors related to RHR. Methods In total, 374 participants underwent medical examinations from March 2019 to December 2019. Participants were divided into groups with low RHR (LRHR; <65 beats/minute) and high RHR (HRHR; ≥65 beats/minute). RHR was judged using resting electrocardiogram at physical examination. We conducted laboratory examinations, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and blood lipids, among participants with chronic diseases. We used Cox proportional risk regression and multivariate analyses for the following covariates: previous chronic diseases, body mass index (BMI), smoking, blood lipids, and FPG. Results The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and HbA1c values were both significantly higher in the HRHR group than in the LRHR group. Spearman correlation analysis showed RHR had a positive correlation with low-density lipoprotein, BMI, FPG, and HbA1c (r = 0.104574, 0.117266, 0.116041, and 0.311761, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis showed age, hypertension, T2DM, and HbA1c were factors influencing RHR. Conclusion RHR showed strong correlation with T2DM and HbA1c in our community population, suggesting that RHR may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.