The Association between Adult Height and Stroke Incidence in Japanese Men and Women: A Population- Based Case- Control Study.

Background No studies have examined the associations between adult height and ischemic stroke subtypes. Methods We conducted a population-based case-control study that included 2,451 thrombotic and 687 embolic stroke cases, as well as 1,623 intracerebral and 768 subarachnoid hemorrhage cases without history of stroke aged 40-79 years, and the same number of sex- and age-matched controls. Cases and controls were grouped according to the quintile cut-off values of height in controls, and the third quintile, which was approximately the average height group, was used as the reference group. Height was also examined as a continuous variable as divided by one standard deviation of height in controls. The analyses were carried out separately for participants aged 40-59 years and 60-79 years. Results In both younger and older men, continuous height was linearly inversely associated with total and thrombotic strokes, and the shortest quintile compared to the reference was associated with increased risks of these strokes. Although height was linearly inversely associated with embolic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage in younger men, the shortest quintile did not show increased risks of these strokes. Height did not seem to be associated with total stroke and any stroke subtypes in younger women. In contrast, the tallest quintile was significantly associated with increased risks of total stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, and height tended to be positively associated with these strokes in older women. Conclusions We reported the associations between adult height and ischemic stroke subtypes for the first time, which differed according to sex and age-group.