BACKGROUND: Studies show an inverse association between height and risk of myocardial infarction. How height affects survival after acute myocardial infarction is uncertain. METHODS: In the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study, trained interviewers performed chart reviews and face-to-face interviews with 1935 patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in 45 US medical centers between 1989 and 1993. We excluded 15 patients with missing information on height. After a search of the National Death Index for patients who died before 1996, we analyzed the relationship of height and survival with Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Of the 1920 eligible patients, 317 (17%) died during a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Height was positively associated with younger age, greater educational attainment, and a lower likelihood of being sedentary among both men and women. Height was not associated with long-term survival among women in unadjusted or adjusted analyses. Among men, height was associated with survival only in unadjusted analyses; adjustment for age eliminated this association. We found no relationship between height and survival in any individual age group among men or women. CONCLUSIONS: Although stature may be associated with the risk of acute myocardial infarction, it is not associated with long-term survival after such an event.
BACKGROUND: Studies show an inverse association between height and risk of myocardial infarction. How height affects survival after acute myocardial infarction is uncertain. METHODS: In the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study, trained interviewers performed chart reviews and face-to-face interviews with 1935 patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in 45 US medical centers between 1989 and 1993. We excluded 15 patients with missing information on height. After a search of the National Death Index for patients who died before 1996, we analyzed the relationship of height and survival with Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Of the 1920 eligible patients, 317 (17%) died during a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Height was positively associated with younger age, greater educational attainment, and a lower likelihood of being sedentary among both men and women. Height was not associated with long-term survival among women in unadjusted or adjusted analyses. Among men, height was associated with survival only in unadjusted analyses; adjustment for age eliminated this association. We found no relationship between height and survival in any individual age group among men or women. CONCLUSIONS: Although stature may be associated with the risk of acute myocardial infarction, it is not associated with long-term survival after such an event.