Men in the shortest fifth of the height distribution experienced twice as many incident ischaemic heart disease events compared to men in the tallest fifth.
Cohort (n=4,860)
Yes
Does shorter height predict incident ischaemic heart disease in men?
Shorter height is an independent risk marker for incident ischaemic heart disease in men, potentially reflecting the impact of early childhood factors such as nutrition.
The predictive power of height for future ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was examined in 4860 men from two communities in South Wales and the West of England. At follow-up, men in the shortest fifth of the height distribution had experienced twice as many incident IHD events (fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction) as was the case for men from the tallest fifth. Adjustment for age, social class and smoking habit failed to alter these relationships significantly. In the data from South Wales, determinants of height were examined; birth rank and number of siblings showed a trend with height. This trend was found only in men whose fathers were manual workers and may be related to inadequate nutrition in the higher birth ranks and larger families. These results support the suggestion that early childhood factors may be relevant to IHD in middle age and possible mechanisms are discussed.
Yarnell et al. (1992) conducted a cohort in Ischaemic heart disease (n=4,860). Short stature (shortest fifth of height distribution) vs. Tall stature (tallest fifth of height distribution) was evaluated on Incident IHD events (fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction). Men in the shortest fifth of the height distribution experienced twice as many incident ischaemic heart disease events compared to men in the tallest fifth.
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