A person’s height impacts their risk of multiple diseases

Tall stature increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy and skin and bone infections. According to a new study performed at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in the U.S., a person's height raises their risk for a variety of diseases.

Height has been associated with multiple common conditions, ranging from heart disease to cancer. However, scientists have struggled to determine if being tall or short puts persons at risk or if factors like nutrition and socioeconomic status are to blame.

Researchers examined correlations between diseases and a person's actual height and genetically predicted height in the new study. The researchers used genetic and health data from over 200,000 white people and 50,000 black adults from the VA Million Veteran Programme.

The results confirmed previous findings that being tall is linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation and varicose veins, and a lower risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The study also uncovered new associations between greater height and a higher risk of peripheral neuropathy, which is caused by damage to nerves on the extremities, as well as skin and bone infections, such as leg and foot ulcers.