In a cross-sectional analysis of 2,301 ambulatory elderly subjects, the mean resting heart rate for women (66.2/min) was significantly higher than for men (63.6/min), p < 0.0001, and heart rate was positively correlated with age for both men and women. Resting heart rate was positively correlated with the number of drugs used (p < 0.05), number of symptoms reported (p < 0.05), systolic (p < 0.01), and diastolic (p < 0.0001) blood pressure. Of 975 participants who were followed longitudinally over an 8-year period there was a significant decrease in resting heart rate of approximately 2.75/min, p < 0.0001.