ABSTRACT
In addition to the factors described above, resting heart rate has been identified as an independent risk factor for mortality from coronary disease.32 It appears that survival is inversely related to heart rate.33,34 Even in individuals with normal systolic blood pressure, those with heart rates ≥ 70 beats/minute have a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality.35 A high heart rate can induce or aggravate myocardial ischemia and angina by increasing myocardial oxygen demand and decreasing myocardial perfusion. High heart rate is, therefore, a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality.36 Among mammals, there is an inverse semilogarithmic relationship between heart rate and life expectancy,37 and the importance of resting heart rate for influencing factors important in heart disease has been demonstrated by the use of animal models.
