Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Height and risk of sudden cardiac death: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and Cardiovascular Health studies
Michael A Rosenberg1, Faye L Lopez2, Petra Bůžková3
1Division of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Veteran's Administration Hospitals of Boston, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA; Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Insights
Taller height is linked to a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in adults. This finding emerged from analyses of two large population studies, suggesting height is a factor in cardiovascular health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a significant cause of mortality in adults.
- Height shows a complex relationship with cardiovascular health, including associations with cardiac hypertrophy, arrhythmias, and coronary heart disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between adult height and the risk of SCD.
- To analyze this relationship in two large, diverse population-based cohorts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.
- Examined physician-adjudicated SCD events over extended follow-up periods (11.7 and 12.6 years).
- Conducted a fixed-effects meta-analysis to pool results and assess the overall association.
Main Results:
- A trend toward decreased SCD risk was observed with increasing height in both cohorts.
- Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant pooled hazard ratio of 0.84 per 10 cm of height (95% CI, 0.73-0.98; P = .03).
- The association was slightly attenuated by factors like hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy and appeared stronger in men.
Conclusions:
- Greater adult height is associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death.
- This finding was consistent across two distinct population-based prospective cohorts.
- Height may be a modifiable or observable factor influencing SCD risk.
Purpose:
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of mortality in the adult population. Height has been associated with cardiac hypertrophy and an increased risk of arrhythmias but also with decreased risk of coronary heart disease, suggesting a complex association with SCD.
Methods:
We examined the association of adult height with the risk of physician-adjudicated SCD in two large population-based cohorts: the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.
Results:
Over an average follow-up time of 11.7 years in Cardiovascular Health Study, there were 199 (3.6%) cases of SCD among 5556 participants. In Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, over 12.6 years, there were 227 (1.5%) cases of SCD among 15,633 participants. In both cohorts, there was a trend toward decreased SCD with taller height. In fixed effects meta-analysis, the pooled hazard ratio per 10 cm of height was 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.98; P = .03. The association of increased height with lower risk of SCD was slightly attenuated after inclusion of risk factors associated with height, such as hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. The association appeared stronger among men than women in both cohorts.
Conclusions:
In two population-based prospective cohorts of different ages, greater height was associated with lower risk of SCD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:30Coronary Artery Disease III: Clinical Manifestations
01:26Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
01:26Atherosclerosis III: Management
01:27Atherosclerosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Tests
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT