The Relationship between Resting Heart Rate and Symptoms of Depression among Korean Adults: Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015~2018)

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between resting heart rate (RHR) and symptoms of depression among Korean adults. Methods: This study used data of Korean adults obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES, 2015 ∼ 2018). After excluding participants with missing data, a total of 14,021 participants were included for analysis. Participants were classified as depressed if they had experienced depression within the past two weeks, or were currently depressed, or were diagnosed as depressed. For the main analysis, participants were classified into five groups by resting heart rate (RHR), i.e., ＜ 60 bpm (beats per minute), 60 ∼ 69 bpm, 70 ∼ 79 bpm, 80 ∼ 89 bpm, and ≥ 90 bpm. The correlation between RHR and symptoms of depression was examined using logistic regression analysis after controlling for the confounders. Results: Compared to the participants with RHR of ＜ 60 bpm, the participants with RHR of 80 ∼ 89 bpm or ≥ 90 bpm showed higher level of symptoms of depression. [Men: 80 ∼ 89 bpm by 1.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07 ∼ 2.93) and ≥ 90 bpm by 3.20 (95% CI, 1.68 ∼ 6.08), Women: ≥ 90 bpm by 1.71 (95% CI, 1.04 ∼ 2.81)]. Further stratified analyses were performed and yielded similar results regardless of the potential confounders such as age, BMI, income, marital status, and levels of physical activity. Conclusions: RHR was significantly associated with symptoms of depression. This study suggests the importance of RHR as a predictor of the risk of depression.