Respiratory rate at rest was not associated with long-term mortality in healthy males

ObjectiveIn various diseases, resting respiratory rate (RR) is associated with mortality. We hypothesized that RR could be an early marker of low-grade disease and hence be associated with mortality also in healthy individuals. The objective of the study was to assess if resting RR was associated with long-term mortality in healthy males.Study Design and SettingIn a cohort of healthy men aged 40–59, we studied the relation of RR in 1972–1975 with all-cause and respiratory mortality until 2000. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsAmong 1,623 men, 615 died during follow-up, 96 from respiratory causes. Men in the upper RR quartile (>16 breaths/min) had higher all-cause mortality than in the lowest quartile (<13 breaths/min), HR 1.29 (95% CI 1.04–1.60, P = 0.02), though this was not statistically significant in multivariable models. Resting RR was not associated with respiratory mortality.ConclusionRR at rest was not independently associated with long-term all-cause or respiratory mortality in this cohort of healthy men.