The Role of Premenstrual Syndrome in the Causation of Arterial Hypertension in Women

Introduction: Gender perspectives are gradually generating great interest in health matters. Hypertension is one illness where gender considerations are important. Advancements in knowledge of pathophysiology help in better understanding of diseases and improvements in treatment. Pre-menstrual syndrome has been reported to make hypertension less responsive to treatment. This work was therefore done to see if premenstrual syndrome contributed in some way to hypertension in women. Methodology: All female hypertensives consulting the author in a private specialized hypertension clinic were questioned using the University of Carlifornia at San Diego criteria with a view to determining if they suffered from pre-menstrual syndrome. The control status was also considered for each patient. Females who consulted over the same period and were not hypertensive served as controls. Result: Pre-menstrual syndrome was found to occur more in hypertensive women than normotensive controls; to a statistically significant extent (p < 0.05). Control tended to be poorer in hypertensives with pre-menstrual syndrome than those without. The difference however did not achieve statistical significance. Discussion: There is controversy surrounding the aetiology of pre-menstrual syndrome. However, each of the models albeit inconsistent is capable of initiating and sustaining hypertension. The result here shows that in women it is likely to be one of the many factors that could produce hypertension in those predisposed. Conclusion: Pre-menstrual syndrome should arouse suspicion of future hypertension, and should be sought in all female hypertensives. Its presence should evoke deliberate action to improve outcome or remove the need for pharmacotherapy, at least for some time.