RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Heart rate and microinflammation in men: a relevant atherothrombotic link
JF Heart
JO Heart
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Cardiovascular Society
SP 940
OP 944
DO 10.1136/hrt.2006.101949
VO 93
IS 8
A1 O Rogowski
A1 I Shapira
A1 A Shirom
A1 S Melamed
A1 S Toker
A1 S Berliner
YR 2007
UL http://heart.bmj.com/content/93/8/940.abstract
AB Objective and background: To explore the possibility that increased resting heart rate (HR) is associated with a microinflammatory response. Such an association could explain, at least in part, the recently described worse cardiovascular prognosis in individuals with increased HR.Methods: Concentrations of fibrinogen and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, as well as the absolute number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes, were analysed in a cohort of 4553 apparently healthy men and in those with atherothrombotic risk factors.Results: Following adjustment for age and body mass index, lipid profile and cardiovascular risk factors, a significant (p<0.001) difference was noted between individuals in the first quintile of HR (⩽58 beats/min) and those in the fifth quintile (⩾79 beats/min) regarding all the above-mentioned inflammatory biomarkers, the respective mean values being 7.38 and 8.11 μmol/l, 1.12 and 1.61 mg/l, and 4.23 and 4.74×109/l.Conclusions: Resting HR is associated with a microinflammatory response in apparently healthy men and in those with atherothrombotic risk factors. Sympathetic activation might be a common factor explaining such an association. If confirmed in additional studies, this association might be a relevant target for therapeutic manipulations.