Association between height loss and cardiovascular disease in the Korean elderly

Shorter people are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but data remain limited. This study sought to determine whether height loss is associated with an increased incidence of CVD. From the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior database (2002-2015), data of 134,952 individuals with available information on height loss was obtained. Height loss as percentages was measured 3-5 years from the baseline height. To assess hazard ratios for CVD incidence, multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used before and after applying propensity score matching. The unmatched cohort consisted of 109,546 participants without height loss (< 1%): 20,208 participants with 1-2% height loss, and 5126 participants with ≥ 2% height loss. During a median follow-up period of 6.5 years (interquartile range, 3.7-8.5 years), 21,921 were newly diagnosed with CVD. Adults with height loss of > 2% had a greater risk of incident CVD than those with no height loss. This finding was statistically significant both in the original- and propensity score-matched cohorts. The increased risk for ischemic stroke was significant in the male subgroups, in line with degree of height loss. Overall, height loss is associated with an increased risk of subsequent ischemic stroke in Korean men.