Your height
may be linked to your risk of blood clots: a new study from Sweden found that
taller men and women were more likely to develop blood clots in their veins
than their shorter counterparts were.
Compared
with men who were taller than 6 feet 2 inches, men who were shorter than 5 feet
3 inches were 65 percent less likely to develop a blood clot in their veins;
according to the study. And compared with women taller than 6 feet, woman who
were shorter than 5 feet 1 inch were 69 percent less likely to develop a venous
blood clot.
Venous blood
clots are blood clots that start in a person’s veins. One type of venous blood
clot is called a deep vein thrombosis, and it often forms in the vein of a
person’s leg. If a DVT breaks free from a person’s vein, it can travel to the
individual’s lung and get stuck, causing the second type of venous blood clot,
a pulmonary embolism.
Cardiovascular
Genetics, the researchers looked at data on more than 2.5 million Swedish adult
siblings who didn’t have a venous blood clot when the study began. Using the
Swedish Hospital Register, a national database that includes information on
hospital patients’ medical diagnosis, the researcher identified who had a blood
clot during the 30 to 40-year study period.
By including
siblings in the study, the researchers could account, in part, for genetic
factors that may increase a person’s risk of blood clots. The researcher found
that among same-sex sibling pairs, the risk of venous blood clots was
significantly lower in siblings at least 2 inches shorter than their taller
siblings.
Gravity may
also play a role in the possible link: there’s more gravitational pressure in
the leg veins of taller individuals, and that can increase the risk of blood
flow slowing or temporarily stopping.
The researchers
noted that the study had several limitations. For example, the researchers didn’t
account for lifestyle factors – such as smoking, diet and physical activity –
that could increase a person’s risk for venous blood clots.
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