title: [Effects of aging and menopause on women's vascular systems].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The morbidity of hypertension increases with aging although the exact relationship between hypertension and menopause has not been clearly elucidated. Therefore we set out to clarify the effects of aging and menopause upon women's vascular systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  We divided 151 elderly and middle-aged women into 3 groups (premenopause group, menopause group and post-menopause group). We measured height, weight, blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (T-chol), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-chol), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-chol), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), creatinine (Cr), triglyceride (TG), fasting blood glucose (FPG), IRI, HOMA-R, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), augmentation index (AI), percentage of flow-mediated dilatation (%FMD), and echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the post-menopause and menopause groups systolic BP and AI were significantly higher than those in the pre-menopause group. There was a significant difference in systolic BP between the post-menopause group and menopause group. In the post-menopause group, baPWV, Cr, and hsCRP were significantly higher than those in the pre-menopause group. There was significant difference in baPWV between the post-menopause group and menopause group. In the post-menopause group, %FMD and eGFR were significantly lower than those in other 2 groups. In the post-menopause group and the menopause group, E/A was significantly lower than in the pre-menopause group. There was also a significant difference in E/A between the post-menopause group and the menopause group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated blood pressure, atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction were associated with aging and menopause in their present study. These results suggest that understanding women's cardiovascular changes which accompany aging are important for women's health care and prevention of cardiovascular events.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Nursing Science, Wakayama Medical University.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Chigusa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uchigaki
authors.forename: Kimiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuba
authors.forename: Miyoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Utsumi
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siba
authors.forename: Tokio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sanke
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyai
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology; D017697:Premenopause / Q000502:physiology