Men who are six feet tall or taller have a higher risk of blood clots in their veins than their shorter counterparts, while height does not seem to have an impact on women's risk.
Men who are six feet tall or taller have a higher risk of blood clots in their veins than their shorter counterparts, while height does not seem to have an impact on women's risk.
The blood clots, known as venous thromboembolisms, include clots in the deep veins - usually in the legs - and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition that occurs when a deep-vein blood clot travels to the lungs. Certain situations can lead to clots in some people, such as being immobilised after surgery or taking a long-haul flight. There are also lifestyle-related factors, such as obesity and smoking, which can leave a person more vulnerable to the blood clots.
Some previous studies have shown a correlation between height and clot risk, with greater height equaling greater risk. But those studies have only included men. To investigate the gender-specific impact of body height on risk of blood clots in a general population, researchers followed 26,727 Norwegian adults, aged between 25 and 96 years for 12 years. During the follow-up, 462 participants developed a first-time clot; they were often related to specific causes, like surgery, trauma or medical conditions such as cancer - but in 42 percent of cases, there were no such provoking factors.
It was found that overall, the tallest men - those who were taller than 181 centimeters, or roughly 6 feet - had double the clot risk of men, who were shorter than 173 centimeters, or 5 feet, 8 inches. The finding did not change even when factors such as weight, smoking habits and diabetes were taken into account. Among men who stood at six feet or taller, there were 1.68 clots per 1,000 men per year, compared with a rate of 0.84 per 1,000 men per year among those who were shorter than 5 feet 8 inches.
The above findings show that height is a risk factor for the blood clots in men, but not in women. The reason the association is seen only in men is likely because fewer women are tall enough for their height to affect clot risk.
The blood clots, known as venous thromboembolisms, include clots in the deep veins - usually in the legs - and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition that occurs when a deep-vein blood clot travels to the lungs. Certain situations can lead to clots in some people, such as being immobilised after surgery or taking a long-haul flight. There are also lifestyle-related factors, such as obesity and smoking, which can leave a person more vulnerable to the blood clots.
Some previous studies have shown a correlation between height and clot risk, with greater height equaling greater risk. But those studies have only included men. To investigate the gender-specific impact of body height on risk of blood clots in a general population, researchers followed 26,727 Norwegian adults, aged between 25 and 96 years for 12 years. During the follow-up, 462 participants developed a first-time clot; they were often related to specific causes, like surgery, trauma or medical conditions such as cancer - but in 42 percent of cases, there were no such provoking factors.
It was found that overall, the tallest men - those who were taller than 181 centimeters, or roughly 6 feet - had double the clot risk of men, who were shorter than 173 centimeters, or 5 feet, 8 inches. The finding did not change even when factors such as weight, smoking habits and diabetes were taken into account. Among men who stood at six feet or taller, there were 1.68 clots per 1,000 men per year, compared with a rate of 0.84 per 1,000 men per year among those who were shorter than 5 feet 8 inches.
The above findings show that height is a risk factor for the blood clots in men, but not in women. The reason the association is seen only in men is likely because fewer women are tall enough for their height to affect clot risk.
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