Introduction: Elevated heart rate is linked with poor prognosis and has been shown to accelerate the progress of atherosclerosis. However, the association between heart rate and new-onset PAD is unknown.
Methods: A total of 3463 participants without PAD at baseline from a community-based cohort in Beijing were included and followed up for 2.3 years. PAD was defined as ankle–brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0.9. We used multivariate logistic regression models to investigate the association of heart rate and the risk of new-onset PAD.
Results: Participants were 56.67 ± 8.54 years old, and 36.12% were men. The baseline ABI was 1.11 ± 0.08, and the incidence of new-onset PAD was 2.97%. Multivariate regression models, adjusted for sex, age, risk factor of atherosclerosis, medications, and baseline ABI, showed that heart rate was significantly associated with incidence of PAD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03– 1.43, P = 0.020); every increase of 10 heart beats per minute (bpm) was associated with a 22% increase in the odds of developing new-onset PAD. Respondents in the higher-heart rate group (≥ 80 bpm) had an increased risk of new-onset PAD, compared with those in the lower-heart rate group (< 80 bpm) (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.14– 2.63, P = 0.010). Subgroup analyses revealed no significant heterogeneity among the analyzed subgroups.
Conclusion: Elevated heart rate was independently associated with the risk of new-onset PAD in a community-based population in Beijing. Heart rate management should be considered for the purpose of PAD prevention.
Keywords: cohort studies, heart rate, peripheral arterial disease, ankle–brachial index