title: Menopause is associated with the stiffness of the common carotid artery in 50-year-old women.
abstract: To determine if menopause has an effect on the elasticity of the arteries, the stiffness index of the common carotid artery was studied in 84 premenopausal and 139 post-menopausal women. The study group was age-homogeneous, all women being 50 years of age. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-menopausal women regarding atherosclerosis, when measured as the number of subjects with plaques or intimal-medial thickness. The diameter of the common carotid artery was significantly larger in post-menopausal women. The diameter was correlated to measurements of body size which did not, however, differ between the two groups. The mean stiffness indexes were 4.99 +/- 1.02 and 5.38 +/- 1.21 in the pre- and post-menopausal groups respectively (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, menopause (P < 0.05), and also serum insulin levels (P < 0.01) and smoking (P < 0.05) were found to have independent significant associations to the stiffness index. In conclusion, menopause is associated with reduced elasticity of the carotid arteries in 50-year-old women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology and Research, Central Hospital Västerås, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jonason
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kangro
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vessby
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ringqvist
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D012907:Smoking; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D007328:Insulin