Could androgens protect middle-aged women from cardiovascular events? A population-based study of Swedish women: The Women's Health in the Lund Area (WHILA) Study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this analysis was to delineate perceived associations between androgens and cardiovascular events in perimenopausal women.


METHODS
A cross-sectional, population-based study of 6440 perimenopausal women aged 50-59 years, living in Southern Sweden. In all, 461 (7.1%) women were premenopausal (PM), 3328 (51.7%) postmenopausal without hormone therapy (HT) (PM0) and 2651 (41.2%) postmenopausal with HT (PMT). For further comparisons, 104 women (1.6%) who reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) were studied in detail; 49 had had a myocardial infarction, 49 a stroke and six women both events. For each woman with CVD, two matched controls were selected (n=208).


RESULTS
In the matched controlled series, androstenedione levels were lower (p<0.005) in cases. Cases with hormone therapy had also lower testosterone levels than matched controls (p=0.05). In the total cohort, by using multiple logistic regression analyses, testosterone was positively associated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.001) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p<0.001) in all women, but negatively associated with levels of triglycerides in both the PM0 (p<0.001) and PMT (p<0.001) groups. Androstenedione levels were positively associated with HDL-C (p<0.05) and negatively with triglycerides (p<0.05) in the PM group.


CONCLUSIONS
Women with cardiovascular disease had lower serum androgen levels, particularly women using hormone replacement therapy, even when controlled for lipids and other potential risk factors.
Khatibi
A
A
Department of Clinical Sciences in Lund, Lund University, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.
Agardh
C-D
CD
Shakir
Y A
YA
Nerbrand
C
C
Nyberg
P
P
Lidfeldt
J
J
Samsioe
G
G
D000368:Aged; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D016387:Women's Health
D000728:Androgens; D008055:Lipids; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D013739:Testosterone