Medical Minute: Resting Heart Rate

In this week’s Medical Minute, Dr. Joseph Hobbs, Chair Emeritus of the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, discusses reports that a steady decline in slow resting heart rate as children move into young adulthood may actually be an indicator that heart trouble is ahead. 

We think of a “slow resting heart rate” as a good thing. But investigators have evidence that a steady decline in rate as children move into young adulthood may actually be an indicator that heart trouble is ahead. They looked at hundreds of individuals over 21 years as they grew from healthy children into young adults. They found an association between a faster decrease in heart rate and a larger left ventricle, the major pumping chamber of the heart. An increase in ventricle size indicates the heart is working too hard. They also found higher pressure inside blood vessels that helps explain why. Looking at resting heart rate trends over time may be a better indicator of heart health, the investigators say.

The Medical Minute airs at 8:18 a.m., 1:20 p.m. and 5:18 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday on the 17 GPB radio stations across Georgia. For more Medical Minute episodes, visit the Medical Minute 2020 SoundCloud page.