Tall people may have plenty of advantages in life. But they are also more likely to suffer atrial fibrillation—an abnormal quivering of the heart's upper chambers or atria—than shorter people, according to a study appearing this month in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Unlike ventricular fibrillation, which affects the lower, pumping chambers of the heart, atrial fibrillation is not usually life-threatening, although it can sometimes lead to stroke.

Researchers decided to study the relationship between stature and heart function because of a known link between atrial fibrillation and the size of a person's left atrium. The scientists had hypothesized—correctly, it seems—that bigger people, with bigger left atria, would be at higher risk for atrial fibrillation. (Another tip-off to the scientists: large animals, like horses, frequently suffer from the condition, while smaller animals do not.)

Researchers from Georgia and Kentucky analyzed data from a registry of more than 25,000 people who had another heart problem, left ventricular dysfunction, and noted a clear link: the prevalence of AF was 32% higher among the tallest quartile of patients than it was among the shortest.

<b>What It Means</b>: Since adults can't change their height, there is unfortunately little or nothing that can be done to affect this risk factor.
The study does go a long way to explain, however, why men are more likely than women to experience atrial fibrillation.

And tall patients should be aware, doctors say, that they may need more aggressive treatment or lifestyle changes to mitigate other risk factors for stroke. AF is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, becoming increasingly likely as a patient ages. The American Heart Association estimates AF affects 3% to 5% of people over 65.

From the Archive:
11/27/2000 The State of the Heart
12/20/1999 A Candidate's Racing Heart