Women getting smaller at risk of fatal stroke

University of Gothenburg study shows losing inches in later life is linked with higher chance of death

WOMEN who shrink by an inch or more in their 50s are more than twice as likely to die of a stroke than someone who does not lose any height, a new study has found.

Height loss in midlife is common, and the process accelerates as a person continues to age. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as spinal fractures from compression; the discs between vertebrae degrading; and changes to a person’s posture.

Women tend to suffer more with height loss and Swedish researchers studied almost 2,500 women from Sweden and Denmark who were born in the early 20th century.

Participants were recruited between the ages of 30 and 60, and had their height measured at the start of the study and again a decade later.

Researchers then followed their lives, and deaths, for 19 years.

A total of 625 women died during the course of the study, and the average woman lost 0.8cm in height between measurements. The mean starting height was 163cm, or 5ft 4in. However, the amount a woman shrank was found to be highly variable, with some women not losing any height, and one woman shrinking by 14cm.

A measurement difference of more than 2cm (0.8in) was deemed “major height loss” and Swedish women who lost this much were found to be 74 per cent more likely to die during the study follow up. The figure for the Danish cohort was similar, at 80 per cent.

However, when the pooled data from the Nordic nations was analysed, researchers were able to see that while all cause mortality increased for shrinking women, the biggest risk factor was for a stroke. Women with major height loss were found to be 2.3 times more likely to die of a stroke, while they were 2.14 times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

“In this study of middle-aged Nordic women, major height loss was associated with an increased hazard of overall mortality of around 80 per cent,” the researchers write in their study, published in the journal BMJ Open.

“Specifically, major height loss was associated with cardiovascular disease mortality, with more than a twofold risk for stroke mortality.”

The researchers add that in their statistical analysis they accounted for factors which may have confounded the results, such as age, time between measurements, original height, weight, education and lifestyle factors.

The study, conducted by academics from the University of Gothenburg, is unable to prove causation, but the authors say the link means shrinking in middle age is likely an early warning sign. “These findings suggest the need for increased attention to height loss to identify individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” they write.

“Moreover, regular physical activity may be beneficial not only in prevention of cardiovascular disease, but also in prevention of height loss.”