Effect of menopause on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors: a 9-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVES: To explore the cardiovascular risk attributable to menopausal status in a 9-year follow-up, population-based study. METHOD: All middle-aged women who met our eligibility criteria were selected from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study cohort. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews, physical examination and biochemical assessments at 3-year intervals. The World Health Organization classification was used to define menopausal status. Cardiovascular events that occurred in the cohort were investigated by a panel of medical specialists. RESULTS: Based on menopausal status, there were no significant differences in cardiovascular disease after adjustment for age, body mass index and other confounders; however, significant relationships between serum concentrations of low density cholesterol and total cholesterol and menopausal status were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Menopause, independent of other cardiovascular disease risk factors, incurred cardiometabolic risk.