Prognostic Factors Associating with Arterial Stiffness in Menopausal Women: A Cohort Study
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Abstract
Background: Menopause is associated with increased arterial stiffness, which in turn is linked to cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study was to conduct a longitudinal assessment of arterial stiffness in pre- and post-menopausal women.
Methods: Arterial stiffness was assessed in 460 out of 823 eligible subjects (362 males were excluded, and 1 woman did not mention her menopausal status at baseline). The sample was divided into pre-menopausal (n = 277) and post-menopausal women (n =183). Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used as an indicator of arterial stiffness. Anthropometric variables, biochemical markers, and the prevalence of clinical features were also evaluated.
Results: The mean age, fasting blood glucose (FBG), systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL, and PWV were significantly higher in menopausal women, while other clinical characteristics did not show significant differences. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia was also significantly higher in menopausal women. Additionally, post-menopausal women had a 3.723 times greater risk of a PWV >10 m/s after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, smoking, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome compared to pre-menopausal women.
Conclusion: Post-menopausal women recruited for the MASHAD study exhibited significantly higher arterial stiffness compared to pre-menopausal women. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to assess the impact of menopause-related arterial stiffness on cardiovascular disease risk in menopausal women.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Saberi-Karimian M, et al.
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