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Published on: December 2, 2014
The menopausal transition does not appear to accelerate age-related increases in arterial stiffness
S M O'Neill1, J Liu, M F O'Rourke
1Betty Byrne Henderson Women's Health Research Centre, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Brisbane and the University of Queensland, Australia.
Insights
Menopause does not appear to accelerate age-related arterial stiffness. This study found no significant differences in arterial stiffness measures between menopause groups, challenging previous assertions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Women's Health
- Aging Research
Background:
- Arterial stiffness is a key cardiovascular risk factor, increasing with age, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.
- While arterial stiffness is known to increase with age and is more pronounced in women, the specific impact of menopause remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether menopause accelerates age-dependent changes in arterial stiffness.
- To evaluate the relationship between menopausal status and arterial stiffness markers.
Main Methods:
- Applanation tonometry was used to assess pulse wave analysis and pulse wave velocity in 468 women aged 40-80.
- Multiple linear regression models identified age as the primary correlate of increased aortic augmentation pressure, augmentation index, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in adjusted mean augmentation pressure, augmentation index, or pulse wave velocity were found between pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women.
- Arterial stiffness measures were comparable between women using hormone therapy and non-users.
Conclusions:
- The study findings challenge the notion that menopause accelerates age-dependent arterial stiffness.
- Age, rather than menopausal status, appears to be the dominant factor influencing arterial stiffness in women within this age range.
Objective:
Arterial stiffness is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk that increases with age, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, both for men and women (although more pronounced in women). This study was designed to establish whether menopause augments the age-dependent change.
Methods:
The study evaluated pulse wave analysis and pulse wave velocity using applanation tonometry in 468 women (aged 40-80 years) sampled from the general population. In multiple linear regression models, age was the predominant correlate of increasing aortic augmentation pressure (p < 0.0001), augmentation index (p < 0.0001), augmentation index adjusted to a heart rate of 75 beats/min (p < 0.0001) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (p < 0.0001).
Results:
Analysis of covariance showed no significant difference in adjusted mean of augmentation pressure, augmentation index or pulse wave velocity between menopause groups (pre-, peri-, postmenopause). Adjusted means of augmentation pressure and pulse wave velocity were comparable between women on hormone therapy (n = 130) and non-users (n = 338).
Conclusions:
The results of the present study challenge the assertion by some researchers that menopause accelerates age-dependent changes in arterial stiffness.
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