title: Assessment of the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events among a group of Sub-Saharan African post-menopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Post-menopausal women may be at particular risk of developing cardiovascu-lar disease due to metabolic changes occurring at menopause. The present study aimed to assess the 10-year cardiovascular risk (CVR) among a group of post-menopausal women and to deter-mine associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study conducted among post-menopausal women in Yaoundé, Cameroon. CVR was calculated using the Framingham risk score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 108 women, their ages ranging from 45 to 80 years, with a mean of 56.4 ± ± 6.9 years. CVR ranged between 1.2% and greater than 30% with a mean of 13.4 ± 8.7%. Forty-three (39.8%) participants had a low CVR (< 10%), 39 (36.1%) women had a moderate CVR (10-20%), and 21 (24.1%) women had a high CVR (> 20%). Low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C; b = 3.27, p = 0.004), fasting plasma glucose (b = 5.40, p = 0.015), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; b = 3.49, p < 0.0001) were independently associated with CVR. Women not married (i.e. single, divorced or widowed) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.66, p = 0.002), those with high titers of LDL-C (≥ 1.6 g/L; aOR 5.07, p = 0.001), and those with elevated DBP (≥ 90 mm Hg; aOR 8.10, p < 0.0001) presented an increased likelihood to be at an advanced level of CVR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant number of post-menopausal women are at considerable risk of cardiovascular events in our setting. Therefore, they should be educated to adopt healthy life-styles for substantial reduction in their CVR.
authors.forename: Vicky Jocelyne
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Ama Moor
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Heanth, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon. jobertrichie_nansseu@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Jobert Richie N
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nansseu
authors.forename: Murielle Elsa D
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Nouaga
authors.forename: Jean Jacques N
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Noubiap
authors.forename: Guylaine D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Nguetsa
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tchanana
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ketcha
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fokom-Domgue
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D017698:Postmenopause; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Cameroon; Sub-Saharan Africa; cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular risk; post-menopausal women