It is well known that sex hormones, and in particular estrogen, represent a sort of protective umbrella for the female heart and arteries in the fertile age. Also for this with the arrival of menopause it is necessary to accentuate if possible the path of prevention for the heartchecking body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar well and regularly, and avoiding those risk factors such as physical inactivity and smoking which increase the dangers to blood vessels. But what can happen in the case of menopause that comes early?
This question is answered by an interesting research published in European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, which leads to a very clear conclusion and indicates how and how much attention should be paid to cardiovascular health. According to the study that examined the information relating to almost one and a half million women, in fact, the more one advances the age of menopause, the greater the risk of developing heart failure and atrial fibrillation, the most common form of arrhythmia, which mainly affects older people. The research was coordinated by Ga EunNam of the University of Seoul.
When premature menopause weighs
Normally, in statistical terms, women tend to show signs of cardiovascular disease several years later than men. Obviously, with the end of menstrual cycles and decrease in estrogen values circulating in the blood, the situation between the two sexes progressively tends to match, in terms of cardiovascular risks. More or less one in a hundred women under 40, however, tends to enter menopause.
As research reports, other studies have found a link between early menopause (before the age of 40) e precocious (before the age of 45) e cardiovascular disease in general. But this study adds another piece to the knowledge, because it examined the associations between early menopause, age at menopause, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
The study included 1,401,175 postmenopausal women aged 30 or older. Participants were followed up for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Information was collected on demographics, health behaviors and reproductive factors, including age at menopause and the use of HRT. Age at menopause was classified as less than 40, 40-44, 45-49, and 50 or older.
Premature menopause was defined as the last menstrual period before age 40. About two in a hundred women showed one early menopause, with an average age of onset of this phase of life around 36 and a half years. By checking the situation of female health in relation to this element, it was found that around the age of 60 about 3% of these women developed heart failure. Slightly higher was the percentage of those who saw one appear atrial fibrillation.
When premature menopause affects
Researchers analyzed the association between history of early menopause and heart failure and atrial fibrillation after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, income, body mass index, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, possible hormone replacement therapy and age at menarche. Women who have experienced the premature menopause they had a 33% higher risk of heart failure it’s a 9% greater risk of atrial fibrillation compared to those who did not.
In particular, it was found that the risk of heart failure increased with the decrease in age at menopause. Compared with menopausal women aged 50 and over, those aged 45 to 49, 40-44 and less than 40 postmenopausal were 11%, 23% and 39% more, respectively. risk of manifesting this picture. Similarly, the risk of incident atrial fibrillation increased with decreasing age at menopause, with 4%, 10%, and 11% higher risks for people aged 45 to 49, 40 and 44, respectively, and under 40 postmenopausal, compared to women aged 50 or over postmenopausal. In short: if menopause anticipates (and not only) remember to talk to your doctor and follow a preventive path for heart health.