Having more than 70 beats per minute increases the risk of death

To have more than 70 beats per minute is associated with an increased risk of develop cardiovascular disease and increased risk of death, according to the results of a study by the epidemiology and cardiovascular genetics research group of the Hospital del Mar Institute for Biomedical Research (IMIM).

The work has analyzed data from 10,466 participants in the Regicor study (Girona Register of the Heart), which has made it possible to identify the increase in pulsations as a way to obtain information about the risk of develop these pathologies. Their pulsations were measured after five minutes of rest and they were regularly followed up for more than 10 years to assess their state of health. Of the total, 1,398 died during the study period and 962 presented a cardiovascular health problem.

70 beats per minute

The follow-up has allowed to conclude that there is a relationship between greater number of keystrokes and an increased risk of develop cardiovascular disease and with increased risk of death. Specifically, the work places 70 beats per minute the threshold beyond which that possibility grows. Above this figure it increases by 30% for each increase of 10 beats per minute.

The principal investigator of the study and of the IMIM, Dr. Roberto Elosua, explained that the relationship between a greater number of pulsations and a greater risk of mortality had already been observed in other populations, but this is the first study carried out in Catalonia.

In addition, it has been established that the relationship appears at heart rates above 70 beats per minute. The work of the researchers has made it possible to place this figure in a concrete way and relate it to the increased risk of dying during the following 10 years. That is, on average, people who have 80 beats per minute at rest have a 30% higher risk of dying in the next 10 years compared to people who have 70 beats per minute, according to the head of the Angiology and Vascular Surgery Service of the Hospital del Mar and signatory of the study, Albert Clará.

A simple indicator

The results show that a simple indicator such as heart rate can provide useful information on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or death in the next 10 years. In this sense, Elosua recommends avoiding the consumption of stimulant substances and doing sports or meditation to reduce the number of pulsations.

Related news

The control of the number of pulsations responds to the needs of the organism at all times and is regulated by a part of the nervous system, the autonomous, which has two main types of activities, the kind, which activates and increases the heart rate and lazy, which reduces them.

Researchers from the CIBER for Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV), the University of Vic-Central de Catalunya, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ​​the IDIAP Jordi Gol, the IDIBGI and the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital also took part in the study.