Abstract
There is increasing evidence from epidemiological studies that exogenous estrogen
(hormone replacement therapy) protects against the elevated risk of cardiovascular
disease in women after the menopause. However, it is still uncertain whether the postmenopausal
decrease in endogenous estrogen in itself contributes significantly to this increase
in risk. Most of the studies that have provided evidence linking cardiovascular disease
with menopause have involved North American women, who may differ significantly from
Europeans in terms of lifestyle and diet. ICARUS (Italian Climacteric Research Group Study) is an observational study that involves Italian Menopause Clinics, with the
objective of collecting observational data on menopause and its management. The results
of a cross-sectional analysis of 9309 women, free from any hormonal treatment and
enrolled up to March 1997, are reported here. Data show that the menopause has a marked
effect on the circulating levels of lipids and lipoproteins. From pre- to post-menopause
there are significant increases in total cholesterol (6.9% before and 4.4% after adjustment
for covariates including chronological age, educational level, center, BMI, smoking
habits, hypertension and diabetes, previous contraceptive use, and time since menopause),
LDL (7.5% before, 4.0% after), and triglycerides (9.0% before, 3.2% (ns) after). However,
there is no significant change in HDL. Among postmenopausal women, no effect on lipid
profile of time since menopause was observed.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 16, 2004
Accepted:
July 26,
1999
Received in revised form:
June 25,
1999
Received:
August 19,
1998
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
