What diseases does your height expose you to? New findings, especially important for the tall

Shorter or taller height may increase the risk of certain diseases? This problem has been bothering scientists for a long time. Earlier studies have shown, among other things, that taller people are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and those shorter are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Other health problems linked to higher height were also discovered.

1. Scientists have long studied the height of a person as a potential risk factor for certain diseases
2. “We conclude that height may be an undiagnosed, unmodifiable risk factor for several common conditions in adults” – says Dr. Sridharan Raghavan, who leads the research
3. Analyzes confirmed an association between higher height and increased risk of atrial fibrillation and varicose veins
4. The researchers also added several other conditions to the risk list, including skin and bone infections and peripheral neuropathy.
5. You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page

Can our diseases depend on height? Scientists are studying the problem

Can the likelihood of developing certain diseases depend on our height? Scientists have been watching this for years. Growth is a potential risk factor for certain diseases for them. Non-modifiable factor. Previous studies have shown that taller people may be at greater risk for Alzheimer’s or heart disease, and shorter people are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. However, it was still unclear whether height was a major factor in these problems or whether something else was more important. e.g. nutrition or environmental conditions.

Evidence that a person’s height affects their predisposition to certain diseases was obtained by a team of scientists working under the supervision of Dr. Sridharana Raghavana from the American Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. The researchers also identified certain diseases not previously associated with growth. The work on this topic was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Genetics.

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Growth and risk of disease – the largest analysis and its conclusions

Researchers analyzed the genetic data and growth of individuals in the VA Million Veteran Program database (a research program that analyzes the relationship between genes and health). Information was collected from over 250 thousand. people. The average height of the respondents was 176 cm. «Because we had genetic data linked to clinical data in the VA Million Veteran Program, and our understanding of genetic predictors of growth has expanded since previous research, we thought this was an opportunity to look for disease associations with a wider range of conditions. »Explained Dr. Raghavan in Medical News Today.

Using a method of linking known genes to the presence of a disease, researchers sought to match thousands of genetic variants that influence human growth with over a thousand symptoms associated with the disease. “Considering previous studies using similar methods, which included no more than 50 traits, using much smaller genetic databases, the new analysis can be considered the largest ever,” says Sciencealert. What are the effects? “We conclude that height may be an undiagnosed, unmodifiable risk factor for several common conditions in adults,” says Dr. Raghavan directly.

Higher Growth Diseases – New Findings

After analyzing over a thousand conditions and characteristics, researchers found that adult height is associated with more than a hundred symptoms, including several conditions. The results confirmed earlier studies that found that taller people find it easier to cope with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease. Higher height was also found to be associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation and varicose veins. The researchers also added several other conditions to the risk list, including skin and bone infections and peripheral neuropathy.

Why might a taller person be at greater risk of these diseases? “In some cases, the links we are seeing may be related to biological processes related to growth. In other cases, this mechanism will be due to the physical effects of tall stature and not to a biological process, »explained Dr Raghavan. For example, the correlation between height and chronic venous circulation disorders in the lower extremities may be related to the physical distance and different pressure dynamics in the venous circulation.

“The linking of peripheral neuropathy may similarly be something physical related to the length of peripheral nerves in taller people and the risk of injury, but this is just a speculation. The links of infection are even more difficult to explain as they are also associated with other health conditions associated with the growth – neuropathy and chronic venous insufficiency. Let’s hope that future work will explain the mechanisms underlying these connections »- emphasizes the scientist.

Growth and risk of certain diseases. How important are the discoveries of scientists?

Growth is a risk factor with which little can be done. How can scientists’ discoveries help us prevent disease? Dr. Sridharan Raghavan points to the use of research results in personalized patient care. Dr. Medhat Mikhael, a specialist in pain treatment, speaks in a similar vein. The doctor emphasizes that although height cannot be modified, the risk can be mitigated so that the disease can be anticipated and controlled. «Knowing that a person is at a much higher risk of a disease helps to detect it early and thus treat it early, avoiding complications, such as ulcers, infections of the feet and so on »- he pointed out in« Medical News Today ».

Dr. Mikhael would like to see the follow-up of patients whose height was considered a risk and who received early treatment. Thanks to this, it would be possible to check the effects of such an action in comparison with patients without early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

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