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Researchers find painful nerve condition could be associated with height

By Mallika Marshall, MD

June 6, 2022 / 5:57 PM EDT / CBS Boston

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BOSTON -- Many of us wish we were taller, there may be some health risks associated with being taller than average.

Being tall has previously been associated with having atrial fibrillation and varicose veins but a new study has identified a few other conditions that could plague taller adults.

Researchers looked at data on more than 250,000 veterans and found evidence that greater height was associated with peripheral neuropathy, a painful nerve condition typically in the feet and legs as well as leg ulcers and poor circulation.

That said, being taller may have its health advantages such as a lower risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary heart disease.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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