Pulse Rate Variability and All-Cause Mortality Risk in the General Japanese Population

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Pulse rate variability (PRV) is explored as a surrogate for heart rate variability in assessing autonomic function.
• The predictive value of PRV-derived parameters for mortality in the general population remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether PRV-derived parameters predict all-cause mortality risk in a general Japanese population.
• To examine the association between autonomic function markers and mortality outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 5,943 Japanese individuals (aged 30-79) followed for 12.4 years.
• Pulse wave analysis using photoplethysmography to assess PRV and resting heart rate (RHR).
• Cox proportional hazard models and penalized cubic splines used to analyze mortality risk associated with PRV parameters.

Main Results:

• 437 deaths were recorded during the follow-up period.
• The lowest quartiles of standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) showed a 1.51-fold increased mortality risk.
• PRV parameters demonstrated significant non-linear associations with mortality risk, even after adjusting for confounders and RHR.

Conclusions:

• Reduced PRV-derived autonomic parameters are linked to an elevated risk of all-cause mortality.
• PRV analysis offers valuable insights into autonomic function and mortality prediction in the general population.