Height and risk of incident intraparenchymal hemorrhage: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and Cardiovascular Health study cohorts

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2013 May;22(4):323-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2011.09.004. Epub 2011 Dec 15.

Abstract

Background: Height is inversely associated with incident coronary disease and total stroke, but few studies have examined the association between height and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH). We hypothesized that height would be inversely associated with incident IPH in the combined cohorts of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Methods: Data on Caucasian and African American participants were used to estimate the association of height at baseline with incident IPH verified by clinician review of medical records and imaging reports. Sex-specific Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios.

Results: A total of 20,983 participants initially free of stroke (11,788 women and 9195 men) were followed for an average of 15.9 years (standard deviation [SD] 5.1 years). Incident IPH occurred in 115 women and 73 men. Sex, but not age, race, study, or blood pressure, modified the association (P = .03). After adjustment for risk factors (age, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fibrinogen, and race), among women, height was significantly inversely associated with incident IPH (hazard ratio [HR] per SD [6.3 cm] was 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.99; P = .04). The HR for tertile 3 vs 1 in women was 0.63 (95% CI 0.37-1.08). Among men, height was not linearly associated with incident IPH (HR per SD [6.7 cm] was 1.09; 95% CI 0.84-1.40; P = .52).

Conclusions: This large prospective study provides evidence that shorter height may be a risk factor for incident IPH in women.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Body Height* / ethnology
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / epidemiology*
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / ethnology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Time Factors
  • United States / epidemiology
  • White People / statistics & numerical data