Height is an indicator of vascular maintenance capacity in older men

Aim: Bone-derived circulating CD34-positive cells are reported to play an important role in vascular maintenance. Additionally, height might influence age-related hematopoietic bone marrow decline, as it positively correlates with total bone marrow volume. As hypertension should mask the beneficial effects of circulating CD34-positive cells, hypertension status should account for this correlation. The present study aimed to clarify the clinical importance of height on vascular maintenance in older Japanese men. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 343 older men aged 65–69 years who underwent a general health checkup from 2013 to 2015. Results: Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, height was found to be slightly, but significantly, positively correlated with the log number of circulating CD34-positive cells in systolic, but not non-systolic, hypertensive men. Multilinear regression analysis showed a parameter estimate (B) and standardized parameter estimate (β) of 3.23 × 10^–2, 0.28 (P = 0.003) for systolic hypertensive men and –0.49 × 10^–2, –0.04 (P = 0.495) for non-systolic hypertensive men. Conclusions: Height positively correlates with circulating CD34-positive cells in systolic, but not non-systolic, hypertensive men. As the beneficial effects of circulating CD34-positive cells on endothelial repair might be masked by hypertension where the production of CD34-positive cells is stimulated by hypertension-induced vascular damage, among individuals with systolic hypertension, circulating CD34-positive cells should indicate the limits of endothelial repair. Therefore, height might indicate the capacity for adequate vascular maintenance in older men. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1729–1736.