Menopausal characteristics and the Framingham risk score for cardiovascular disease in the Canadian longitudinal study on aging (CLSA)

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> To assess the associations of type of menopause, surgical versus natural, and the timing of age at natural menopause (ANM) with the prediction of future cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) from a sample of Canadian women in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). <h3>Methods</h3> We analyzed the CLSA baseline data and included all postmenopausal women. We then excluded women missing menopausal variables and women with a history of CVD (e.g., heart disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral vascular disease). Thus, 10,090 women were included (8,017 natural menopausal, and 2,073 with a hysterectomy, with or without oophorectomy). We estimated the association between menopausal characteristics and FRS using linear regression and adjusted all models by age, education, study site, and hormone therapy. <h3>Results</h3> The average FRS of the study population was 10%. Surgical menopausal women had an average higher score CVD risk than natural menopausal women (CVD risk: 13.07% versus 10.61%, <i>P</i> < 0.001). Among natural menopausal women, an ANM between 50–54 years had an average lower CVD risk FRS than with ANM less than 45 years. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our study supports an association between menopausal type and timing on CVD risk in Canadian women. Increased, early screening and health promotion interventions for CVD should be considered in surgical menopausal women and women with an ANM less than 45 years.