Adult height associates with angiographic extent of coronary artery disease

Relationship of genetic determinants of height with cardiometabolic and pulmonary traits in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Background

Associations of adult height with cardiometabolic and pulmonary traits have been studied in majority European ancestry populations using Mendelian randomization and polygenic risk score (PRS) analysis. The standard PRS approach entails creating a PRS for height using variants identified in prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS). It is unclear how well the standard PRS approach performs in non-European populations and whether height-trait associations observed in Europeans are also observed in other populations.

Methods

In the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), we used: (i) the standard approach to create a PRS for height (PRS1) and (ii) a novel approach to optimize the selection of variants from previously established height association loci to better explain height in HCHS/SOL (PRS2). We also estimated the extent to which PRS-trait associations were independent or mediated by the PRS effect on height.

Results

In 7539 women and 5245 men, PRS1 and PRS2 explained 9 and 29% of the variance in measured height, respectively. Both PRS1 and PRS2 were associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/ FVC ratio, total cholesterol and 2-hour oral glucose-tolerance test insulin levels. Additionally, PRS2 was associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate and ankle brachial index. Both PRS1 and PRS2 had pleiotropic associations with FEV1/ FVC ratio in mediation analyses.

Conclusions

Associations of polygenic scores of height with measures of lung function and cholesterol were consistent with those observed in prior studies of majority European ancestry populations. Mediation analysis may augment standard PRS approaches to disentangle pleiotropic and mediated effects.

Association between Height and Actinic Keratosis: A Nationwide Population-based Study in South Korea

The association between actinic keratosis (AK) and anthropometric measures has not been investigated. This study aims to evaluate the associations between anthropometric measures and the incidence of AK in South Korea. We analyzed clinical data from individuals aged over 20 years who received a health examination arranged by the national insurance program between 2005 and 2008. Newly diagnosed AK was identified using claims data from baseline to the date of diagnosis or until December 31, 2015. The incidence of AK was highest among the elderly (aged over 60 years) and showed a male bias. The risk of AK increased with greater height. The quintile with the greatest height had an increased risk of AK compared with the quintile with the lowest height (hazard ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-1.33) after adjustment for age, sex, income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, hypertension, dyslipidemia, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This study showed a positive association between the incidence of AK and human height. However, it is unclear whether these findings can be generalized to Koreans who have not received an examination or to populations in other countries.

ECAS score: a web-based risk model to predict moderate and severe extracranial carotid artery stenosis

Background and purpose To develop and validate a risk model (Extracranial Carotid Artery Stenosis score, ECAS score) to predict moderate and severe ECAS. Furthermore, we compared discrimination of the ECAS score and three existing models with regard to both moderate and severe ECAS. Methods The ECAS score was developed based on the Renqiu Stroke Screening Study (RSSS), in which eligible patients were randomly divided into derivation (60%) and validation (40%) cohorts. ECAS was diagnosed by carotid duplex ultrasound according to the published criteria. Independent predictors of moderate (≥50%) and severe (≥70%) ECAS were obtained using multivariable logistic regression. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test were used to assess model discrimination and calibration. Results A total of 5010 participants were included and the mean age was 64.3. The proportion of ECAS of < 50%, 50-69%, 70-99% and occlusion was 4.4, 0.5, 0.4, and 0.4%, respectively. The ECAS score was developed from sets of predictors of moderate and severe ECAS. The ECAS score demonstrated good discrimination in the derivation and validation cohorts (AUROC range: 0.785-0.846). The Hosmer-Lemeshow tests of ECAS score for moderate and severe ECAS were not significant in the derivation and validation cohorts (all P > 0.05). When compared to the three existing models, the ECAS score showed significantly better discrimination for both moderate and severe ECAS (all P < 0.001). Conclusion The ECAS score is a valid model for predicting moderate and severe ECAS. Further validation of the ECAS score in different populations and larger samples is warranted.

Associations between height and blood pressure in the United States population

The mechanisms linking short stature with an increase in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk remain elusive. This study tested the hypothesis that significant associations are present between height and blood pressure in a representative sample of the US adult population.Participants were 12,988 men and women from a multiethnic sample (age ≥ 18 years) evaluated in the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were not taking antihypertensive medications and who had complete height, weight, % body fat, and systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure (SBP and DBP) measurements; mean arterial blood pressure and pulse pressure (MBP and PP) were calculated. Multiple regression models for men and women were developed with each blood pressure as dependent variable and height, age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, % body fat, socioeconomic status, activity level, and smoking history as potential independent variables.Greater height was associated with significantly lower SBP and PP, and higher DBP (all P < .001) in combined race/ethnic-sex group models beginning in the 4th decade. Predicted blood pressure differences between people who are short and tall increased thereafter with greater age except for MBP. Socioeconomic status, activity level, and smoking history did not consistently contribute to blood pressure prediction models.Height-associated blood pressure effects were present in US adults who appeared in the 4th decade and increased in magnitude with greater age thereafter. These observations, in the largest and most diverse population sample evaluated to date, provide support for postulated mechanisms linking adult stature with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk.

Association between infection burden and adult height

Although highly heritable, adult height is also associated with numerous environmental factors, including exposure to infection. Particularly in developing regions of the world, infection burden appears to slow growth during childhood. Using a large database representative of the US population, we examined associations between adult height and leg length and an infection-burden index based on past exposure to Toxocara species, Toxoplasmosis gondii, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes simplex virus 1, and herpes simplex virus 2. In models controlled for age, sex, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and race-ethnicity, we found that the infection-burden index predicted height (β=-0.10 [95% CI: -0.15, -0.05], p .001<0.001) but not leg length (β=-0.04 [95% CI: -0.12, 0.04], p=0.357). Both sex and race-ethnicity moderated this association. In addition, exposures to Toxocara species, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis A were each individually associated with reduced height and reduced leg length. While associations between growth and infection have been found principally in children in developing regions of the world, our findings suggest that the effects of infection on height may persist into adulthood even in developed nations.