Associations of Leg Length, Trunk Length, and Total Adult Height With Ménière's: Cross-Sectional Analysis in the UK Biobank. Issue 3 (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tyrrell, Jessica S.; Taylor, Mark S.; Whinney, David; Osborne, Nicholas J.
• Is Part Of: Ear and hearing. Volume 36:Issue 3(2015:May/Jun.)
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Childhood environment -- Epidemiology -- Height -- Leg length -- Meniere's -- UK Biobank; Hearing disorders -- Periodicals; Audiology -- Periodicals; 612.85
• DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000132
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0196-0202

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: To investigate whether adverse intrauterine and/or childhood exposures, using established anthropometric measures (e.g., components of adult height, including total height, leg length, and trunk length) as a proxy for childhood exposures, are associated with self-reported Ménière's disease. Design: Cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank were used to compare 1, 327 self-reported Ménière's cases with 479, 500 controls. The authors used logistic regression models to investigate the relation of Ménière's disease with the components of adult height. Models were adjusted for a range of potential confounders including age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and socioeconomic status. Results: In the UK Biobank, Ménière's was inversely associated with overall stature (odds ratio [OR] per standard deviation increase in height, 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–0.94) and leg length (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82–0.94) in fully adjusted models. No association was noted in adjusted models with trunk length (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88–1.01). Conclusions: The specific association between leg length, a potential marker of adverse childhood environments, and Ménière's may suggest that early-life environmental exposures that influence skeletal growth may also influence the risk of developing Ménière's in later life. Abstract : Adverse early life exposures are known to contribute to the development of a number of complex diseases in adulthood (e.g., diabetes, heart disease) and may also impact on self-reported Ménière's disease. The components of height are well-established proxies for adverse childhood environments. We utilized height measures in the UK Biobank to investigate the influence of early life factors on self-reported Ménière's disease for the first time. The findings indicated that height and leg length were inversely associated with self-report of Ménière's disease. This finding suggests early life environmental exposures that influence skeletal growth may also influence risk of developing Ménière's disease in later life.