Older adults with a high resting heart rate may face an increased risk of dementia, according to new findings published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
The study included data from more than 2,100 participants who were 60 years old and older. All participants lived in Stockholm, Sweden, and they were followed for up to 12 years.
Overall, participants with a resting heart rate of 80 bpm or higher were found to have a 55% higher risk of dementia than those who had a resting heart rate of 60 to 69 bpm. The association remained even after making adjustments for different factors, including cardiovascular health.
The study’s authors emphasized that they could not establish a causal relationship between resting heart rate and dementia, but they did say their findings could potentially help patients receive the care they need much earlier in life.
“We believe it would be valuable to explore if resting heart rate could identify patients with high dementia risk,” lead author Yume Imahori, a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said in a prepared statement. “If we follow such patients’ cognitive function carefully and intervene early, the onset of dementia might be delayed, which can have a substantial impact on their quality of life.”
The full study can be read here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.