title: Is an unfavourable cardiovascular risk profile a risk factor for vasomotor menopausal symptoms? Results of a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence suggests an association between vasomotor menopausal symptoms (VMSs), i.e. hot flushes and night sweats, and cardiovascular disease. However, the causal pathway is unclear. We investigated whether an unfavourable cardiovascular risk profile is a risk factor for VMS later in life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women aged 50-70 from the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Prospect-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (Prospect-EPIC) cohort is a population-based cohort of women who enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Follow-up questionnaires were sent at 5-year intervals for 15 years. Women who returned the third questionnaire, answered questions regarding lifetime VMS and did not report VMS prior to baseline were included in this study (n = 1295).
  
  
  METHODS
  At baseline, the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was determined. We used logistic regression analysis to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the association between baseline FRS and incident VMS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incident VMS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.2 ± 3.6 years), 21.2% had a FRS > 10%. During follow-up, 40.2% of women reported the onset of VMS. Adjusted for body mass index, physical activity, education and alcohol consumption, each point increase in FRS was associated with a decreased incidence of VMS [OR, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.91-0.97)]. Additional adjustment for menopausal status attenuated the OR to null [OR, 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95-1.01)]. None of the separate FRS variables were associated with VMS after adjustment for age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our cohort, an unfavourable cardiovascular risk profile was not associated with VMS, and therefore we found no evidence for the involvement of a vascular mechanism in the etiology of VMS.
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.|Department of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.|Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.|Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: G C M
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Herber-Gast
authors.affiliation: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: van der Schouw
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044465:White People
keywords: Cardiovascular risk profile; Framingham Risk Score; VMS; vasomotor menopausal symptoms