Diabetes Metab J.  2019 Dec;43(6):794-803. 10.4093/dmj.2018.0184.

Relation between Baseline Height and New Diabetes Development: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

• Rhee EJ
• Cho JH
• Kwon H
• Park SE
• Jung JH
• Han KD
• Park YG
• Kim YH
• Lee WY

• KMID: 2466501
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2018.0184

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Short stature and leg length are associated with risk of diabetes and obesity. However, it remains unclear whether this association is observed in Asians. We evaluated the association between short stature and increased risk for diabetes using the Korean National Health Screening (KNHS) dataset.
METHODS
We assessed diabetes development in 2015 in 21,122,422 non-diabetic Koreans (mean age 43 years) enrolled in KNHS from 2009 to 2012 using International Classification of Diseases 10th (ICD-10) code and anti-diabetic medication prescription. Risk was measured in age- and sex-dependent quintile groups of baseline height (20 to 39, 40 to 59, ≥60 years).
RESULTS
During median 5.6-year follow-up, 532,918 cases (2.5%) of diabetes occurred. The hazard ratio (HR) for diabetes development gradually increased from the 5th (reference) to 1st quintile group of baseline height after adjustment for confounding factors (1.000, 1.076 [1.067 to 1.085], 1.097 [1.088 to 1.107], 1.141 [1.132 to 1.151], 1.234 [1.224 to 1.244]), with similar results in analysis by sex. The HR per 5 cm height increase was lower than 1.00 only in those with fasting blood glucose (FBG) below 100 mg/dL (0.979 [0.975 to 0.983]), and in lean individuals (body mass index [BMI] 18.5 to 23 kg/m²: 0.993 [0.988 to 0.998]; BMI <18.5 kg/m²: 0.918 [0.9 to 0.935]).
CONCLUSION
Height was inversely associated with diabetes risk in this nationwide study of Korean adults. This association did not differ by sex, and was significant in lean individuals and those with normal FBG levels.

Keyword

Body height; Diabetes mellitus; Public health; Risk

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Blood Glucose
Body Height
Dataset
Diabetes Mellitus
Fasting
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
International Classification of Diseases
Leg
Mass Screening
Obesity
Prescriptions
Public Health
Blood Glucose

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Selection of the study population. ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases 10th; NHIS, National Health Insurance Service.

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  Fig. 2 Hazard ratio for development of diabetes according to seven groups divided by standard deviations of height. SD, standard deviation.

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  Fig. 3 Hazard ratio for development of diabetes according to subgroups of various diseases. Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol drinking, regular exercise, income status, hypertension, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, and baseline body weight. HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval.

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  Fig. 4 Hazard ratio for development of diabetes according to 1-standard deviation increase of height in five groups divided by baseline body mass index.

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