Heart rate and ischemic stroke: the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study

Assessment of the impact of resting heart rate on the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events after ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Although elevated heart rate is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in healthy people, the association between resting heart rate and major cardiovascular risk in patients after acute ischemic stroke remains debated. This study evaluated the association between heart rate and major adverse cardiovascular events after ischemic stroke.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing data from the Chang Gung Research Database for 21,655 patients with recent ischemic stroke enrolled between January 1, 2010, and September 30, 2018. Initial in-hospital heart rates were averaged and categorized into 10-beats per minute (bpm) increments. The primary outcome was the composite of hospitalization for recurrent ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, or all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were hospitalization for recurrent ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, using the heart rate < 60 bpm subgroup as the reference.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 3.2 years, the adjusted hazard ratios for the primary outcome were 1.13 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.26) for heart rate 60-69 bpm, 1.35 (95% CI: 1.22 to 1.50) for heart rate 70-79 bpm, 1.64 (95% CI: 1.47 to 1.83) for heart rate 80-89 bpm, and 2.08 (95% CI: 1.85 to 2.34) for heart rate ≥ 90 bpm compared with the reference group. Heart rate ≥ 70 bpm was associated with increased risk of all secondary outcomes compared with the reference group except heart failure.  CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate is a simple measurement with important prognostic implications. In patients with ischemic stroke, initial in-hospital heart rate was associated with major adverse cardiovascular events.

Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease

Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular diseases and mortality in observational and Mendelian randomization studies. The aims of this study are to extend the number of resting heart rate associated genetic variants and to obtain further insights in resting heart rate biology and its clinical consequences. A genome-wide meta-analysis of 100 studies in up to 835,465 individuals reveals 493 independent genetic variants in 352 loci, including 68 genetic variants outside previously identified resting heart rate associated loci. We prioritize 670 genes and in silico annotations point to their enrichment in cardiomyocytes and provide insights in their ECG signature. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that higher genetically predicted resting heart rate increases risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, but decreases risk of developing atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, and cardio-embolic stroke. We do not find evidence for a linear or non-linear genetic association between resting heart rate and all-cause mortality in contrast to our previous Mendelian randomization study. Systematic alteration of key differences between the current and previous Mendelian randomization study indicates that the most likely cause of the discrepancy between these studies arises from false positive findings in previous one-sample MR analyses caused by weak-instrument bias at lower P-value thresholds. The results extend our understanding of resting heart rate biology and give additional insights in its role in cardiovascular disease development.

Association of Resting Heart Rate with the Risk of Stroke in Men

Background

A resting heart rate may be correlated with an increased risk of stroke. Therefore, we explored the independent and joint influences of heart rate and body mass index on the incidence of stroke and its sub-types in a Chinese rural population.

Methods

Cox proportional hazard models were adopted for measuring the influence exerted by heart rate on stroke in the Tongxiang China Kadoorie Biobank prospective cohort analyses, in which 23,132 men and 32,872 women were included. Incident stroke refers to '24-hour acute focal disorder, considered to result from ischemia or intracranial hemorrhage'.

Results

Over a 6.9 year mean follow up period, 986 men and 925 women developed stroke, representing an incidence of 6.35 and 4.00 per 1,000 person-years. In contrast to men with heart rate < 69 beats/minute, men at heart rate ≥ 90 beats/minute could more probably develop stroke and ischemic stroke with representing hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] 1.29 (1.05 - 1.58), and 1.35 (1.06 - 1.71). An adjusted hazard ratio of 1.37 (95% CI = 1.06 - 1.74) and 1.46 (95% CI = 1.08 - 1.96) were respectively identified for stroke and ischemic stroke in non-overweight/obese male patients with heart rate ≥ 90 beats/minute. Joint analyses also favored the results. Unfortunately, non-significant results were found in women.

Conclusion

Higher resting heart rate acts as an independent predictor of any stroke and ischemic stroke risk in adult Chinese male but not in female. This relationship was particularly evident among nonoverweight/obese male participants.

Acute Ischemic Stroke Comorbid with Type 2 Diabetes: Long-Term Prognosis Determinants in a 36-Month Prospective Study for Personalized Medicine

Ischemic stroke (IS) is often comorbid with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) wherein the determinants of long-term outcomes, beyond the acute stroke phase, are not adequately known. This study identified the determinants of long-term outcomes for diabetic IS patients through a prospective nested case-control study in 624 patients treated with conservative measures (38.60% females, mean age: 63.85 years). After 36-month follow-up, 117 (18.8%) patients with poor outcome were enrolled in the case group. The poor outcome was defined with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3. Meanwhile, 374 (59.9%) patients with good outcome, defined as (mRS score <3), were included in the control group. Patients who died (n = 32) or lost to follow-up (n = 101) were excluded in analysis. Poor prognostic outcome was positively associated with (1) the pulse rate at admission, (2) diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and (3) fasting blood glucose (FBG) during follow-up, whereas physical activity and lipid-lowering treatment during follow-up were negatively associated. Importantly, a forecasting model with these indicators distinguished the patients with good versus poor outcomes with 70.1% sensitivity and 73.5% specificity. Health care professionals and laboratory medicine scholars may want to monitor an increase in DBP and FBG during follow-up, as well as physical activity and lipid-lowering treatment, in relationship to the prognosis of IS with comorbid T2DM after conservative therapies. The proposed predictive model for personalized/precision medicine requires field testing in independent studies, and might help risk stratification with theranostic tests for patients with acute IS who also have a diagnosis of T2DM.

Women with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Have Higher Odds of Midlife Stroke: The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Background: A history of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) is associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular disease, including stroke. Few large U.S. population-based surveys included data on APOs. Methods: The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study is a nationally representative survey of 45,971 U.S. respondents. Female respondents ≥50 years old who reported pregnancy history at the 2013-2014 baseline interview were included in this cross-sectional analysis (n = 3,175; weighted n = 35,783,619). The primary exposure was a history of ≥1 APO, including preterm delivery, low birth weight, preeclampsia, placental abruption, and stillbirth. The primary outcomes were (1) stroke before age 60 and (2) any stroke. We used weighted logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between APO and stroke, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parity, and vascular risk factors. Results: Among stroke-free respondents, 15% reported ≥1 APO. Among women who reported a stroke before age 60, 39% reported ≥1 APO (p < 0.001); among women reporting stroke at any age, 25% reported ≥1 APO (p = 0.01). Controlling for covariates, women with APOs had increased odds of stroke before age 60 (adjusted OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.49, 4.75). The association of APOs with stroke at any age was not significant after controlling for covariates (adjusted OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.93, 2.64). Conclusion: In this analysis of U.S. nationally representative survey data, APOs were independently associated with midlife stroke. Women with APOs have higher odds of midlife stroke and warrant targeted prevention strategies.

Developing a stroke alert trigger for clinical decision support at emergency triage using machine learning

BACKGROUND

Acute stroke is an urgent medical condition that requires immediate assessment and treatment. Prompt identification of patients with suspected stroke at emergency department (ED) triage followed by timely activation of code stroke systems is the key to successful management of stroke. While false negative detection of stroke may prevent patients from receiving optimal treatment, excessive false positive alarms will substantially burden stroke neurologists. This study aimed to develop a stroke-alert trigger to identify patients with suspected stroke at ED triage.

METHODS

Patients who arrived at the ED within 12 h of symptom onset and were suspected of a stroke or transient ischemic attack or triaged with a stroke-related symptom were included. Clinical features at ED triage were collected, including the presenting complaint, triage level, self-reported medical history (hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, and prior stroke), vital signs, and presence of atrial fibrillation. Three rule-based algorithms, ie, Face Arm Speech Test (FAST) and two flavors of Balance, Eyes, FAST (BE-FAST), and six machine learning (ML) techniques with various resampling methods were used to build classifiers for identification of patients with suspected stroke. Logistic regression (LR) was used to find important features.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 1361 patients. The values of area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) were 0.737, 0.710, and 0.562 for the FAST, BE-FAST-1, and BE-FAST-2 models, respectively. The values of AUPRC for the top three ML models were 0.787 for classification and regression tree with undersampling, 0.783 for LR with synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE), and 0.782 for LR with class weighting. Among the ML models, logistic regression and random forest models in general achieved higher values of AUPRC, in particular in those with class weighting or SMOTE to handle class imbalance problem. In addition to the presenting complaint and triage level, age, diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse rate, were also important features for developing a stroke-alert trigger.

CONCLUSIONS

ML techniques significantly improved the performance of prediction models for identification of patients with suspected stroke. Such ML models can be embedded in the electronic triage system for clinical decision support at ED triage.

Dynamic change of heart rate in the acute phase and clinical outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Dynamic change of heart rate in the acute phase and clinical outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the associations of heart rate trajectories and variability with functional outcome and mortality in patients with acute ICH.

METHODS

This prospective study was conducted among 332 patients with acute ICH. Latent mixture modeling was used to identify heart rate trajectories during the first 72 h of hospitalization after ICH onset. Mean and coefficient of variation of heart rate measurements were calculated. The study outcomes included unfavorable functional outcome, ordinal shift of modified Rankin Scale score, and all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

We identified 3 distinct heart rate trajectory patterns (persistent-high, moderate-stable, and low-stable). During 3-month follow-up, 103 (31.0%) patients had unfavorable functional outcome and 46 (13.9%) patients died. In multivariable-adjusted model, compared with patients in low-stable trajectory, patients in persistent-high trajectory had the highest odds of poor functional outcome (odds ratio 15.06, 95% CI 3.67-61.78). Higher mean and coefficient of variation of heart rate were also associated with increased risk of unfavorable functional outcome (P trend < 0.05), and the corresponding odds ratios (95% CI) comparing two extreme tertiles were 4.69 (2.04-10.75) and 2.43 (1.09-5.39), respectively. Likewise, similar prognostic effects of heart rate dynamic changes on high modified Rankin Scale score and all-cause mortality were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Persistently high heart rate and higher variability in the acute phase were associated with increased risk of unfavorable functional outcome in patients with acute ICH.

Heart rate as a predictor of cardiovascular risk

Heart rate is a parameter that is very easy to measure and is widely used both in clinic and during daily life activities. Its value gained more relevance with the evidence, in prospective studies and meta-analysis, of association between elevated heart rate values and diseases and outcomes.The increased knowledge of physiological mechanisms of heart rate control and the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for its dysfunction allows to identify the cut-off value of normalcy providing info for non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments to reduce the cardiovascular risk both in general population and in pathophysiological conditions. This paper overviews the knowledges of the role of resting heart rate as predictor of cardiovascular risk.

Physical health composite and risk of cancer mortality in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study

It is unclear how resting myocardial workload, as indexed by baseline measures of rate-pressure product (RPP) and physical activity (PA), is associated with the overall risk of cancer mortality. We performed prospective analyses among 28,810 men and women from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. We used a novel physical health (PH) composite index and categorized participants into one of four groups based on combinations from self-reported PA and RPP: 1) No PA and High RPP; 2) No PA and Low RPP; 3) Yes PA and High RPP; and 4) Yes PA and Low RPP. We examined the association between baseline PH composite and cancer mortality adjusted for potential confounders using Cox regression. A total of 1191 cancer deaths were observed over the 10-year observation period, with the majority being lung (26.87%) and gastrointestinal (21.49%) cancers. Even after controlling for sociodemographics, health behaviors, baseline comorbidity score, and medications, participants with No PA and High RPP had 71% greater risk of cancer mortality when compared to participants with PA and Low RPP (adjusted HR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.42-2.06). These associations persisted after examining BMI, smoking, income, and gender as effect modifiers and all-cause mortality as a competing risk. Poorer physical health composite, including the novel RPP metric, was associated with a nearly 2-fold long-term risk of cancer mortality. The physical health composite has important public health implications as it provides a measure of risk beyond traditional measure of obesity and physical activity.

Calcium Intake and Serum Calcium Level in Relation to the Risk of Ischemic Stroke: Findings from the REGARDS Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Data on the association between calcium (Ca) and ischemic stroke are sparse and inconsistent. This study aimed to examine Ca intake and serum Ca levels in relation to risk of ischemic stroke.

METHODS

The primary analysis included 19,553 participants from the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. A subcohort was randomly selected to create a case-cohort study (n=3,016), in which serum Ca levels were measured. Ischemic stroke cases were centrally adjudicated by physicians based on medical records. Cox proportional hazards regression for the cohort and weighted Cox proportional hazard regression with robust sandwich estimation method for the case-cohort analysis with adjustment for potential confounders were performed.

RESULTS

During a mean 8.3-year follow-up, 808 incident cases of ischemic stroke were documented. Comparing the highest quintile to the lowest, a statistically significant inverse association was observed between total Ca intake and risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55 to 0.95; Plinear-trend=0.183); a restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a threshold effect like non-linear association of total Ca intake with ischemic stroke (Pnon-linear=0.006). In the case-cohort, serum Ca was inversely associated with the risk of ischemic stroke. Compared to the lowest, the highest quintile of serum Ca had a 27% lower risk of ischemic stroke (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.99; Plinear-trend=0.013). Observed associations were mainly mediated by type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol.

CONCLUSION

s These findings suggest that serum Ca has inverse and Ca intake has threshold effect like association with risk of ischemic stroke.

A PheWAS study of a large observational epidemiological cohort of African Americans from the REGARDS study

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. However, knowledge of genetic determinants of those diseases in African Americans remains limited.

RESULTS

In our study, associations between 4956 GWAS catalog reported SNPs and 67 traits were examined among 7726 African Americans from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which is focused on identifying factors that increase stroke risk. The prevalent and incident phenotypes studied included inflammation, kidney traits, cardiovascular traits and cognition. Our results validated 29 known associations, of which eight associations were reported for the first time in African Americans.

CONCLUSION

Our cross-racial validation of GWAS findings provide additional evidence for the important roles of these loci in the disease process and may help identify genes especially important for future functional validation.

Prevalence and factors associated with fast resting heart rate in hypertensive and normotensive patients

Background: Fast resting heart rate (RHR) is easily neglected in clinical practice of hypertension treatment.Aims: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of fast RHR and associated factors in hypertensive and normotensive individuals.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from two cross-sectional studies conducted in China. A total of 6763 hypertensive patients and 2807 age and sex-matched normotensive subjects with complete data on resting electrocardiogram and medical history were included. Fast RHR was defined as RHR > 85 bpm.Results: The prevalence of fast RHR was higher in hypertensive patients as compared with the normotensives (14.4% vs 7.1%, P < 0.01). In both hypertensive and normotensive subjects, fast RHR appeared as a "U-type" distribution as aging and a "inverted J type" trend as body mass index (BMI) increasing. Multivariate regression analysis showed that fast RHR was associated with age >65 or <25 years old (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.08-1.61), BMI <18.5 kg/m² (OR = 2.94, 95%CI 1.47-5.87) and hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.30, 95%CI 1.10-1.53) in hypertensive patients. Fast RHR in the normotensives was associated with female (OR = 1.78, 95%CI 1.27-2.48), pre-hypertensive state (OR = 2.38, 95%CI 1.61-3.52), and rural area origin (OR = 1.50, 95%CI 1.01-2.42). Stroke and diabetes conferred closer relevance to fast RHR in both hypertensive (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.02-1.69 and OR 2.26, 95%CI 1.60-3.21) and normotensive individuals (OR = 2.67, 95%CI 1.36-5.21 and OR = 2.77, 95%CI 1.47-5.23).Conclusion: Fast RHR might be common in patients with hypertension. Prior stroke and diabetes history is common associated with fast RHR. Other factors associated with fast RHR seem to be different between hypertensive patients and normotensive subjects.Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; CI: Confidence Interval; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; ECG: electrocardiogram; OR: odd ratio; RHR: resting heart rate; SBP: systolic blood pressure.

Relation of Resting Heart Rate to Incident Atrial Fibrillation (From ARIC [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities] Study)

The evidence on the association between resting heart rate (HR) and incident atrial fibrillation (AF) is conflicting. Whether change in resting HR is associated with incident AF is unknown. We evaluated 11,545 participants (mean [±standard deviation] age: 57 ± 5.7 years) free of AF at baseline (1990 to 1992). Resting HR was obtained from 10-second electrocardiograms at baseline and 3 years later. AF diagnosis was ascertained from visit electrocardiograms, hospital discharge records, and death certificates through 2013. High and low resting HR were defined as ≥80 and <55 beats/min, respectively. Increase and decrease in HR were defined as a 3-year HR difference >15 and <-15 beats/min, respectively. Over a median follow-up of 22.5 years, 1,746 (15%) participants developed AF. Both baseline high resting HR and increase in HR were independently associated with incident AF (hazard ratio = 1.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.0 to 1.5 and hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.1 to 1.9). Increase in HR was no longer associated with incident AF after additional adjustment for incident heart failure. In stratified analyses, increase in HR was associated only with AF in participants <60 years, with bachelor's degree or above, without diabetes, and without hypertension (p values for interaction ≤0.05). In conclusion, in a middle-aged population, high resting HR is associated with higher AF risk. Increase in resting HR is also associated with higher AF risk, especially in individuals without traditional AF risk factors. Whether interventions to decrease HR can prevent AF remain to be examined.

Association Between Heart Rate and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease in the Elderly

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Although increased heart rate (HR) is a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality, its possible association with subclinical cerebrovascular disease, which is prevalent in the elderly, has not been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the association of daytime, nighttime, 24-hour HR, and HR variability with subclinical cerebrovascular disease in an elderly cohort without history of stroke.

METHODS

The study cohort consisted of 680 participants (mean age, 73±7 years; 42% men) in sinus rhythm who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and HR monitoring, 2-dimensional echocardiography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging as part of the CABL study (Cardiac Abnormalities and Brain Lesion). Subclinical cerebrovascular disease was defined as silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV). The relationship of HR measures with the presence of silent brain infarct and upper quartile of log WMHV (log WMHV4) was analyzed.

RESULTS

Presence of silent brain infarct was detected in 93 participants (13.7%); mean log WMHV was -0.92±0.93 (median, -1.05; min, -5.88; max, 1.74). Multivariate analysis showed that only nighttime HR (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29 per 10 bpm; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.61; P=0.026) was significantly associated with log WMHV4, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, and echocardiographic parameters. No similar association was observed for daytime HR and HR variability. There was no significant association between all HR measures and silent brain infarct.

CONCLUSIONS

In a predominantly elderly cohort, elevated nighttime HR was associated with WMHV, suggesting an independent role of HR in subclinical cerebrovascular disease.

Long-term predictors of stroke in healthy middle-aged men

Background

There are few data on risk factors for stroke during long-term follow-up of healthy individuals.

Aims

We aimed to investigate the long-term predictive impact on stroke risk of baseline variables including hemodynamic variables measured at rest and during exercise in middle-aged, healthy men.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study of 2014 healthy Norwegian men aged 40–59 years, recruited during the period 1972–1975 and followed until 2007. Participants underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment at baseline, including a bicycle exercise test. Data on stroke, transient ischemic attack, and death were collected on all participants from follow-up visits, medical records, and the National Cause of Death Registry. We used Cox regression for analysis and estimated hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for traditional risk factors and hemodynamic variables measured at rest and during exercise.

Results

During 35 years’ follow-up, 316 participants (16%) had stroke, of which 287 (91%) were ischemic and 29 (9%) were hemorrhagic. Age (hazard ratio 2.70 per increase in one standard deviation, 95% confidence interval 2.13–3.43), resting systolic blood pressure (hazard ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.11–1.39), body mass index (hazard ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.29), and atrioventricular conduction time (hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.19) were significantly associated with long-term risk of stroke, as were maximal systolic blood pressure and heart rate during exercise (hazard ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.13–1.46, and hazard ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.74–0.99, respectively).

Conclusions

Hemodynamic variables at rest and during exercise testing add to the predictive value of clinical variables in healthy, middle-aged men, and should be included in the assessment of long-term risk of stroke, when available.

Resting heart rate and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality - A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Epidemiological studies have reported increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality with greater resting heart rate, however, the evidence is not consistent. Differences by gender, adjustment for confounding factors, as well as the potential impact of subclinical disease are not clear. A previous meta-analysis missed a large number of studies, and data for atrial fibrillation have not been summarized before. We therefore aimed to clarify these associations in a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS

PubMed and Embase were searched up to 29 March 2017. Summary RRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random effects models. Eighty seven studies were included. The summary RR per 10 beats per minute increase in resting heart rate was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.05-1.10, I² = 61.9%, n = 31) for coronary heart disease, 1.09 (95% CI: 1.00-1.18, I² = 62.3%, n = 5) for sudden cardiac death, 1.18 (95% CI: 1.10-1.27, I² = 74.5%, n = 8) for heart failure, 0.97 (95% CI: 0.92-1.02, I² = 91.4%, n = 9) for atrial fibrillation, 1.06 (95% CI: 1.02-1.10, I² = 59.5%, n = 16) for total stroke, 1.15 (95% CI: 1.11-1.18, I² = 84.3%, n = 35) for cardiovascular disease, 1.14 (95% CI: 1.06-1.23, I² = 90.2%, n = 12) for total cancer, and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.14-1.19, I² = 94.0%, n = 48) for all-cause mortality. There was a positive dose-response relationship for all outcomes except for atrial fibrillation for which there was a J-shaped association.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis found an increased risk of coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac death, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality with greater resting heart rate.

Resting Heart Rate and Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Heart Failure

BACKGROUND

Although high resting heart rate (RHR) is known to be associated with an increased risk of mortality and hospital admission in patients with heart failure, the relationship between RHR and ischemic stroke remains unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between RHR and ischemic stroke in patients with heart failure in sinus rhythm.

METHODS

We examined 2,060 patients with systolic heart failure in sinus rhythm from the Warfarin versus Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction trial. RHR was determined from baseline electrocardiogram, and was examined as both a continuous variable and a categorical variable using quartiles. Ischemic strokes were identified during follow-up and adjudicated by physician review.

RESULTS

During 3.5 ± 1.8 years of follow-up, 77 patients (5.3% from Kaplan-Meier [KM] curve) experienced an ischemic stroke. The highest incidence of ischemic stroke (21/503 [KM 6.9%]) was observed in the lowest RHR quartile (RHR <64 beats/min) compared to other groups; 22/573 (KM 5.3%) in 64-70 beats/min, 13/465 (KM 3.5%) in 71-79 beats/min, and 21/519 (KM 5.4%) in RHR >79 beats/min (p = 0.693). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that RHR was significantly associated with ischemic stroke (hazard ratio per unit decrease: 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.13, when RHR <64/beats/min; p = 0.038), along with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack and left ventricular ejection fraction.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to its beneficial effect on mortality and hospital re-admissions, lower RHR may increase the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with systolic heart failure in sinus rhythm.

Association between resting heart rate and coronary artery disease, stroke, sudden death and noncardiovascular diseases: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Resting heart rate is linked to risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, sudden death and noncardiovascular diseases. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess these associations in general populations and in populations of patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase and MEDLINE from inception to Mar. 5, 2016. We used a random-effects model to combine study-specific relative risks (RRs). We used restricted cubic splines to assess the dose-response relation.

RESULTS

We included 45 nonrandomized prospective cohort studies in the meta-analysis. The multivariable adjusted RR with an increment of 10 beats/min in resting heart rate was 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.14) for coronary artery disease, 1.05 (95% CI 1.01-1.08) for stroke, 1.12 (95% CI 1.02-1.24) for sudden death, 1.16 (95% CI 1.12-1.21) for noncardiovascular diseases, 1.09 (95% CI 1.06-1.12) for all types of cancer and 1.25 (95% CI 1.17-1.34) for noncardiovascular diseases excluding cancer. All of these relations were linear. In an analysis by category of resting heart rate (< 60 [reference], 60-70, 70-80 and > 80 beats/min), the RRs were 0.99 (95% CI 0.93-1.04), 1.08 (95% CI 1.01-1.16) and 1.30 (95% CI 1.19-1.43), respectively, for coronary artery disease; 1.08 (95% CI 0.98-1.19), 1.11 (95% CI 0.98-1.25) and 1.08 (95% CI 0.93-1.25), respectively, for stroke; and 1.17 (95% CI 0.94-1.46), 1.31 (95% CI 1.12-1.54) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.39-1.77), respectively, for noncardiovascular diseases. After excluding studies involving patients with hypertension or diabetes, we obtained similar results for coronary artery disease, stroke and noncardiovascular diseases, but found no association with sudden death.

INTERPRETATION

Resting heart rate was an independent predictor of coronary artery disease, stroke, sudden death and noncardiovascular diseases over all of the studies combined. When the analysis included only studies concerning general populations, resting heart rate was not associated with sudden death.

Medicare claims indicators of healthcare utilization differences after hospitalization for ischemic stroke: Race, gender, and caregiving effects

Background Differences in healthcare utilization after stroke may partly explain race or gender differences in stroke outcomes and identify factors that might reduce post-acute stroke care costs. Aim To examine systematic differences in Medicare claims for healthcare utilization after hospitalization for ischemic stroke in a US population-based sample. Methods Claims were examined over a six-month period after hospitalization for 279 ischemic stroke survivors 65 years or older from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Statistical analyses examined differences in post-acute healthcare utilization, adjusted for pre-stroke utilization, as a function of race (African-American vs. White), gender, age, stroke belt residence, income, Medicaid dual-eligibility, Charlson comorbidity index, and whether the person lived with an available caregiver. Results After adjusting for covariates, women were more likely than men to receive home health care and to use emergency department services during the post-acute care period. These effects were maintained even after further adjustment for acute stroke severity. African-Americans had more home health care visits than Whites among patients who received some home health care. Having a co-residing caregiver was associated with reduced acute hospitalization length of stay and fewer post-acute emergency department and primary care physician visits. Conclusions Underutilization of healthcare after stroke does not appear to explain poorer long-term stroke outcomes for women and African-Americans in this epidemiologically-derived sample. Caregiver availability may contribute to reduced formal care and cost during the post-acute period.