A report at the European Stroke Organisation (ESOC) conference indicated that low and high heart rates at rest can increase the likelihood of stroke
The results of a comprehensive study of data from the UK Biobank, which monitored 460,000 volunteers for 14 years, showed that 12,000 of them suffered a stroke. The analysis revealed that the lowest risk level was a pulse rate of 60 to 69 beats per minute. However, when the pulse rate fell below 50 beats per minute or rose above 90, the risk increased significantly—by 25 percent at lower values and by 45 percent at higher values.
The researchers note that the observed correlation persisted even after adjusting the data for elevated blood pressure and atrial fibrillation. This suggests that for this patient group, pulse rate can serve as an additional marker for assessing risk levels.
According to the researchers' explanation of the mechanism of this phenomenon, blood flow to the brain may worsen with a slow heartbeat, while a very fast heartbeat leads to an increased load on the blood vessel wall.
Researchers emphasize that heart rate is one of the simple and measurable indicators that should be closely monitored when assessing the likelihood of cardiovascular complications.
According to them, in order to draw definitive and unambiguous conclusions, further scientific research is required.
