title: Height and risk of sudden cardiac death: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and Cardiovascular Health studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
authors.affiliation: Division 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. Electronic address: marosenberg@partners.org.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Faye L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bůžková
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Division of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Selcuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adabag
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Lin Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: Nona
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sotoodehnia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kronmal
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Siscovick
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buxton
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: Aaron R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Folsom
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine and Primary Care Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mukamal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001827:Body Height; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Body height; Cardiac; Death; Risk factors; Sudden