Key result
Each one-meter increase in residential altitude was associated with a 0.0005% lower 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Why the study?
Although cardiometabolic factor incidence is lower at high altitudes, no studies had correlated residential altitude with formally calculated 10-year cardiovascular risk using a meter-by-meter approach.
Does living at higher altitude reduce 10-year cardiovascular risk in adults aged 40 to 60 years?
Cross-Sectional (n=3,661)
Does living at higher altitude reduce 10-year cardiovascular risk in adults aged 40 to 60 years?
Living at higher altitudes is independently associated with a lower 10-year calculated cardiovascular risk, suggesting altitude is an important environmental determinant of cardiovascular health.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Higher altitude was associated with modestly lower 10-year CV risk; leaves open causality and need for prospective confirmation.
Introduction There is evidence that demonstrates lower incidence rates of cardiometabolic factors at the highlands. There are no studies which correlate the altitude with formally calculated cardiovascular risk by a meter-by-meter approach. Under the hypothesis that cardiovascular risk is inversely associated with altitude, this study was aimed to assess such association. Materials and methods Cross sectional study using data from the Ecuadorian National Health Survey of 2012. We analyzed available information of adults of ≥ 40 to 60 years old who have sociodemographic, anthropometric, cardiovascular risk factors, and laboratory biomarkers that were included in the survey. We assessed the independent association between altitude of the housing in which survey participants lived at, on a meter-by-meter approach, and cardiovascular health risk at ten years, formally calculated by Framingham equations. Results Linear regression model showed that participants had 0.0005 % less probability of developing cardiovascular disease at 10 years per each increase in a meter in the altitude that participants live at (p<0.001), adjusted for sex, age, ethnicity, educational level, availability of social security, immigrants in family, area, income quintile, overcrowding (≥ 7 inhabitants in the house), any alcohol consumption, history of hypertension, body mass index, hematocrit, and triglycerides. Conclusion From a public health perspective, altitude at which individuals live is an important health determinant of cardiovascular risk. Specifically, per each increase of 1000 m in the altitude that people live at, there is a reduction of almost half a percentual point in the cardiovascular risk at 10 years.
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Guerrero et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiovascular risk (n=3,661). Altitude of residence vs. Lower altitude was evaluated on 10-year cardiovascular risk (CHD and stroke) calculated by Framingham equations (-0.0005% per meter, p=<0.001). Each one-meter increase in residential altitude was associated with a 0.0005% lower 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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