Children who are two to three inches shorter than average for their age are at an increased risk of suffering a stroke in adulthood, a major Danish study warns.
The research, published in the journal Stroke, examined data of more than 300,000 Danish schoolchildren - born between 1930-1989.
Scientists noted that boys and girls who were two to three inches shorter than average for their age were at increased risk of clot-related (ischemic) stroke in adult men and women and of bleeding stroke in men.
"Our study suggests that short height in children is a possible marker of stroke risk," said Jennifer L Baker from the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in the US.
"These children should pay extra attention to changing or treating modifiable risk factors for stroke throughout life to reduce the chances of having this disease," said Baker.
While adult height is genetically determined, it is also influenced by factors such as maternal diet during pregnancy, childhood diet, infection and psychological stress.
Several of these factors are modifiable and all are thought to affect the risk of stroke.
The researchers noted that a decline in stroke incidence and mortality rates in most high-income countries, primarily in women, occurred simultaneously with a general increase in attained adult height.
The study suggests the involvement of shared underlying mechanisms for height and stroke development.
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