Interplay of heart rate variability and resting heart rate on mortality in type 2 diabetes

Heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR) are usually analyzed and interpreted separately. We aimed to assess the interplay of HRV and RHR on mortality in type 2 diabetes.

The study included 7,529 participants from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial. HRV metrics included standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences between normal-to-normal intervals (rMSSD). Abnormal values were defined based on <25th percentile for HRV and >75th percentile for RHR. Interactions of HRV status and RHR status were tested on multiplicative and additive scales. Results were validated in a subset of patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 745) from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Low SDNN was associated with increased all-cause mortality in the high RHR group (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.29-1.97), but not in the normal RHR group. Compared with those who had neither low SDNN nor high RHR, the presence of either low SDNN or high RHR was not significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. In contrast, the combination of low SDNN and high RHR was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.68; 95% CI 1.43-1.97). Significant multiplicative and additive interactions were found between HRV status and RHR status on risk of all-cause mortality (all P_interaction < 0.05). Similar findings were observed for cardiovascular mortality, in analyses using rMSSD, and in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

The association between HRV and mortality risk is modified by RHR levels. Furthermore, low HRV and high RHR have interdependent and synergistic associations with mortality risk.