Heart rate response during exercise test and cardiovascular mortality in middle-aged men

Aims The objective is to study whether a heart rate (HR) response during exercise test independently predicts cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods and results The subjects were a representative sample of 1378 men, 42–61 years of age, from eastern Finland with neither prior coronary heart disease (CHD) nor use of β-blockers at baseline. HR was measured at rest and during a maximal, symptom-limited exercise test at 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of maximal workload. During an average follow-up of 11.4 years, there were 56 deaths due to CVD. The slope of HR increase during exercise test was steeper in survivors when compared with those who died due to CVD during follow-up (P