Writing Assignment #4
The article names, “Your Height Could Be a Factor in Disease Risk” by author Steven Reinberg is about if a person’s height is above average, then that person may relate to a variety of diseases. The article was published on June 3, 2022, in U.S. News & World Report. The article is based on a peer-reviewed article names, “A multi-population phenome-wide association study of genetically-predicted height in the Million Veteran Program” publishes on June 2, 2022.
The article mentions that several types of disease may cause by being tall such as heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation and varicose veins. Also, the author claims a new study found that those taller than average can have a higher risk of peripheral neuropathy as well as skin and bone infection. The authors in the peer-reviewed article state, “We found consistent associations of genetically predicted height with peripheral neuropathy and chronic leg ulcer irrespective of diabetes status” while the author in the article states, “This new study found new links between being tall and a higher risk for nerve damage leading to peripheral neuropathy, as well as skin and bone infections, such as leg and foot ulcers.” The article is accurate and based on true a study.
Scientists estimate height genetic risk based on 3290 height-associated variants of Europeans-ancestry. They also adjust age, sex, and genetic principal components on VA electronic health records to approximate the number. However, not all tall people have the risk of peripheral neuropathy, but it is a combination of many factors. The researchers state that a person cannot prevent the disease by changing their genetics, but they can protect control and modify themselves.
This study can be seen as a starting for future work because scientists will base on it to identify if a person has a risk for peripheral neuronopathy, and they can also help them to prevent early symptoms. Through the research, scientists can study the biological mechanism of height to clinical conditions. On the other side, there are some non-modify factors that scientists could not use it as determine if a person will get the disease. There is height and family history. Scientists believe that metabolism related to height is the biggest factor that leads to health conditions. Metabolism is being affected by tall stature rather than a biological process.
This article and the peer-review article are genetically related because they found twelve of the totals of fifty traits had genetic evidence supporting an association with height, such as lower risk heart disease, hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Besides that, it can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolic events, and hip fracture. Scientists found that there are 142 traits were associated with genetical-predicted height in EA and AA individuals. From here, scientists can use this data for future prediction of being tall associated with several diseases.
Raghavan, S. et al. A multi-population phenome-wide association study of genetically-predicted height in the Million Veteran Program. PLOS Genetic. https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1010193 (2022).
Reinberg, S. Your Height Could Be a Factor in Disease Risk. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-06-03/your-height-could-be-a-factor-in-disease-risk (2022).