Short paper
Adult height and cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis: a case-control
study using the UK General Practice Research Database
Richard Hubbard, Andrea Venn
Division of
Respiratory Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Correspondence to: Dr R Hubbard, Division of Respiratory Medicine, City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK email: Richard.Hubbard{at}Nottingham.ac.uk
Received 11 April 2000; Returned to authors 26 May 2000; Revised version received 12 June 2000; Accepted for publication 26 June 2000
BACKGROUND
The reasons
why cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis has emerged as a new clinical
entity during the second half of the 20th century are unclear. Some
environmental exposures have been identified as potential risk factors
including occupational dust, cigarette smoking and antidepressants, but
there have been no studies of the role of early life exposures. Since
adult height reflects, in part, early life experience, we have examined
the relation between adult height and the risk of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis.
METHODSA case-control
study of 569 cases and 3669 age, sex, and community matched controls
drawn from the UK General Practice Research Database was undertaken.
RESULTSEvidence was
found of an inverse association between quintile of height and
cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (odds ratio (OR) per increase in
height quintile 0.93, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.99). This association was not
diminished by adjustment for smoking status (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87 to
1.00), but some minor attenuation did occur after adjustment for oral
corticosteroid use (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.02). There was a
significant interaction with sex such that the effect of height was
strong in women (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.97) and absent in men (OR
1.00, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.09).
CONCLUSIONSThese
findings raise the possibility that early life exposures may be
important in determining the lifetime risk of developing cryptogenic
fibrosing alveolitis.
Keywords: cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis; adult height; early life experience; UK General Practice Research Database
© 2000 by Thorax
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