Background: Frailty, a nonspecific state of vulnerability that reflects multisystem physiological change, has been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Recent studies suggest that height is associated with a risk of stroke, cognitive performance and dementia. We investigated the possible inverse association between tall stature and future frailty among males.
Patients and Methods: A subset of 363 surviving males patients (mean age at baseline 57.9±6.6 y, at reassessment 77±6.4 y) with CHD, who participated in the secondary prevention Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention (BIP) trial (1990 to 1997), were assessed for cognitive function, measures of atherosclerosis (15±3 y. later) and frailty (19.9±1 y. later). Frailty status was assessed using the phenotype developed by Fried which includes the following components: weight loss; self -reported exhaustion, low physical activity, slow walking speed, and low grip strength. Baseline height was measured at entrance to BIP. We compared the prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty among survivors in 2011-2013 by tertiles of height both at the baseline and at reassessment, using ordered logistic regression.
Results: Among 363 patients 117 (33.3%) were classified as non-frail, 134 (38.2%) as pre-frai1and 100 (28.5%) as frail. Subjects at the tallest tertile at baseline were more educated and exhibited a lower percentage of frailty (27%), and pre-frailty (32%) than those at the bottom tertile (46%, P=0.002 for linear trend). Adjusting for differences in age, weight, place of birth, education, holocaust survivorship, physical activity, blood pressure, angina pectoris and chronic kidney disease, lower risk of being frail and pre-frail was observed at the top vs. bottom tertile of height (OR=0.39, 95% CI, 0.20-0.76). Patients in the middle tertile of height had also lower odds of having pre- frailty and frailty (OR=0.58, 95% CI, 0.33-1.05). Further research is required to account for possible survival- and other biases .
Conclusion: Among CHD patients, tall stature was associated with a lower adjusted risk of late-life frailty..
