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Importance of Heart Rate in Determining Cardiovascular Risk

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Blood Pressure Monitoring in Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

A body of evidence indicates that subjects with tachycardia are more likely to develop hypertension (1–3) and atherosclerosis in future years (4–6). However, the connection between heart rate and the cardiovascular risk has long been neglected, on the grounds that tachycardia is often associated with the traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as hypertension or metabolic abnormalities (7). A high heart rate is currently considered only an epiphenomenon of a complex clinical condition rather than an independent risk factor. However, most epidemiogic studies showed that the predictive power of a fast heart rate for cardiovascular disease remains significant even when its relative risk is adjusted for all major risk factors for atherosclerosis and other confounders (4–7). In this chapter, the results of the main studies that dealt with the relation between tachycardia and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality will be summarized, and the pathogenesis of the connection between fast heart rate and cardiovascular disease will be the focus.

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Authors
  1. Paolo Palatini MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA

    William B. White MD (Professor of Medicine) (Professor of Medicine)

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Palatini, P. (2001). Importance of Heart Rate in Determining Cardiovascular Risk. In: White, W.B. (eds) Blood Pressure Monitoring in Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-004-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-004-9_7

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-4654-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-004-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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