ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Stroke 2018;49:579-585

Height is regulated by interplay of several factors, including genetic background, intra- and extra-uterine environment, nutrition, and others. Adult height has been inversely related with stroke risk [34] and coronary artery disease [35]. Only a few small studies [36-37] have addressed the relationship between childhood height and stroke risk. This large-population based study shows a significant association between childhood height at age 7 to 13 and risk of both IS and ICH in men and IS in women. Growth between 7 and 13 years of age was not associated with risk of IS and ICH.

The results of this study are consistent with previous findings showing an association between short stature and risk of both stroke and coronary artery disease. However, overweight and obesity may be potential confounding factors as they are associated with higher risk of stroke in adulthood [38]. Unfortunately, the authors did not take into account the potential effect of weight or BMI, as well as lipid profile and blood pressure, in the association analysis. The proposed explanation for this association was that childhood height is an indicator of other factors experienced during early life, maybe in utero, expressing their effects on growth as well as on stroke risk in adulthood. An alternative and simpler explanation is that height and other measurements of body size have a positive correlation with the diameter of arteries. In shorter individuals, the proportionally smaller caliber of arteries facilitates the development of atherosclerotic plaque thus predisposing to higher risk of stroke.

34. Hozawa A, Murakami Y, Okamura T, Kadowaki T, Nakamura K, Hayakawa T, et al. Relation of adult height with stroke mortality in Japan: NIPPON DATA80. Stroke. 2007;38:22-6.

35. Nelson CP, Hamby SE, Saleheen D, Hopewell JC, Zeng L, Assimes TL, et al. Genetically determined height and coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2015;372:1608-18.

36. Whitley E, Martin RM, Davey Smith G, Holly JM, Gunnell D. The association of childhood height, leg length and other measures of skeletal growth with adult cardiovascular disease: the Boyd-Orr cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2012;66:18-23.

37. Osmond C, Kajantie E, Forsen TJ, Eriksson JG, Barker DJ. Infant growth and stroke in adult life: the Helsinki birth cohort study. Stroke. 2007;38:264-70.

38. Twig G, Yaniv G, Levine H, Leiba A, Goldberger N, Derazne E, et al. Body-Mass Index in 2.3 Million Adolescents and Cardiovascular Death in Adulthood. N Engl J Med. 2016;374:2430-40.