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 (beta) of 3.23 x 10(-2), 0.28 (P=0.003) for systolic hypertensive men and-0.49 x 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.