Midlife women's cardiovascular symptoms: A cluster analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular health
• Menopause research
• Women's health

Background:

• Menopausal transition involves estrogen fluctuations, increasing cardiovascular risk in midlife women.
• Understanding symptom patterns is crucial for managing cardiovascular health during menopause.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify clusters of midlife women based on cardiovascular symptoms.
• To examine racial/ethnic differences within these symptom clusters.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from 966 women.
• Utilized hierarchical cluster and multinomial logistic analyses.

Main Results:

• Three distinct clusters emerged: Cluster 1 (high vasomotor, low cardiorespiratory), Cluster 2 (low vasomotor, high cardiorespiratory, high discomfort/pain), and Cluster 3 (high discomfort/pain, high indigestion).

Conclusions:

• Symptom presentation varies significantly among midlife women during menopausal transition.
• Further research is needed to explore racial/ethnic disparities in these cardiovascular symptom clusters.