Scientists from Penn Medicine found that taller people have an increased risk of developing AFib.
The research reveals a strong link between the genetic variants linked to height and one’s risk for AFib. It is among the first to show that height may be a causal risk factor for AFib.
The research was conducted by Michael Levin et al.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib), which affects more than 33 million people worldwide, is a common, abnormal heart rhythm.
It is an irregular and often rapid heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other complications.
There are a number of clinical risk factors for developing AFib, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Previous studies have found that taller individuals appear to have a higher risk of developing AFib. However, questions exist about whether height can cause AFib, or if it’s just a common, insignificant factor.
In the study, the team used data from the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Trials (GIANT) consortium, which tested more than 700,000 individuals to identify genetic variants associated with height.
They also examined data from the Atrial Fibrillation Genetics (AFGen) consortium, which studied more than 500,000 individuals to identify genetic variants associated with AFib.
The team found that the risk for AFib climbed as one’s height increased, with every one-inch increase in height translating to about a 3% increase in the risk of Afib.
They found that genetic variants linked to height were also strongly linked to Afib, suggesting that increased height may be a cause of atrial fibrillation.
The team says it may be beneficial to incorporate height into risk-prediction tools for AFib.
While current guidelines advise against widespread screening for AFib, the findings show that a certain group of patients—specifically, very tall patients—may benefit from screening.
If you care about heart attack, please read studies about white bread that could increase the risk of heart attack, and this combo therapy can cut risk of heart attack and stroke by half.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about high blood pressure drugs that could increase heart failure risk, and results showing statin drugs can do double duty on heart disease and cancer.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
