Age at menopause and risk of ischaemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite ischaemic stroke having much importance as one of the top 10 causes of death in older women, there are limited data on age at menopause and ischaemic stroke. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the effect of age at menopause on ischaemic stroke.

We screened four databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases) up to 17 July 2023. This systematic review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023444245). Data extraction and quality assessment were independently undertaken by two reviewers. A random-effects model was used for meta-analysis using Revman5.4 to calculate the risk ratio of the incidence of ischaemic stroke. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2. Meta-regression and assessment for bias were performed. Out of 725 records identified, 10 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and the quantitative meta-analysis. The pooled incidence rate for ischaemic strokes which age at menopause before 43 years old was 1.22 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.46]. The pooled incidence rate of early menopause was 1.26 (95% CI: 1.07-1.48) for ischaemic stroke. The incidence rate of ischaemic stroke for women with early menopause may be in an environment with a high incidence for a long time.

This meta-analysis suggests that early menopause is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke. Age at onset of menopause before 43 years old may be the cut-off value of increased risk of ischaemic stroke.