title: Postmenopausal status according to years since menopause as an independent risk factor for the metabolic syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Features of the metabolic syndrome such as abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia develop with the transition from pre- to postmenopausal status in women. We investigated the effects of postmenopausal status on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome according to years since menopause.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1,002 women, 618 premenopausal and 384 postmenopausal, who participated in annual health examinations at Anam Hospital in Seoul, Korea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we determined that postmenopausal status was an independent risk factor for the metabolic syndrome. Moreover, after controlling for age and body mass index, postmenopausal women had an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome (odds ratio, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.62-5.33) and the abnormalities of its individual components. The risk for the metabolic syndrome increased up to 14 years since menopause, then decreased. For its individual components, postmenopausal women with 5 to 9 years since menopause had the highest risk of high blood pressure; postmenopausal women with less than 5 years since menopause had an increased risk of abdominal obesity and high glucose. With 10 to 14 years since menopause, postmenopausal women had an increased risk of high triglycerides.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postmenopausal status is an independent risk factor for the metabolic syndrome and all of its individual components. The risk for the metabolic syndrome increased up to 14 years since menopause. In addition, postmenopausal status has effects during different periods since menopause for each of these components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Geum Joon
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jong Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun Tae
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jung Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Soon Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Tak
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Kyu Wan
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sun Haeng
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors