Higher Resting Heart Rates Associated With Increased Risk of AFib in Black Adults

A study of nearly 5,000 Black adults shows that “a relatively higher resting heart rate was associated with increased risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (commonly called “AFib”), an irregular heartbeat that can have serious consequences.”

According to the study’s lead author, Vid Yogeswaran, we know “little about risk factors for cardiovascular disease” among Black adults, and AFib specifically can “lead to heart failure, stroke, dementia, and death.” Black adults have a lower clinical prevalence of AFib but “a much higher risk of AFib-associated consequences such as stroke and death.”

Researchers reviewed records of patients who had no AFib diagnosis in 2000 through 2016 for “resting heart rate and new-onset AFib.” Each 10 beats-per-minute higher resting heart rate “was associated with a 9% higher risk of developing AFib.” This association was “seen independent of other known AFib risk factors.”

The finding “underscores the importance of resting heart rate as a measure to estimate the risk of AFib in Black adults,” but the researchers caution that “more research is needed” to “determine whether considering a patient's resting heart rate can improve the selection of individuals for AFib screening.”