P-121: Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among pre- and postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study in great Tunis region (Tunisia)

Abstract

The prevalence of the risk of CVD and hypertension in women increases when they reach menopause. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in pre-menopausal (Pre-M) women and post-menopausal (Post-M) women and determine whether years since menopause are associated with hypertension. This cross-sectional study was used a two-stage cluster sampling method to select a representative sample of the great Tunis population. A total of 1.484 women (776 Pre-M and 708 Post-M), aged 35 to 69 years were included. Definition and classification of hypertension was performed according to guidelines from the JNC-7 report The overall prevalence of hypertension among women in Great Tunis region was 40.7%, and it increased with age. Post-M had a higher prevalence of hypertension than Pre-M (58.5% vs 25.1%, p < 0.001). Post-M had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride, total cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose and body mass index than Pre-M. Regression analysis found that the ORs for hypertension increased with age and BMI. Also the personal history of diabetes (OR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.56–3.04, p < 0.001) and dyslipidemia (OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.20–2.13) were associated with hypertension in all participants. The age-adjusted OR (1.63, 95% CI: 1.51–1.76, p < 0.001) for hypertension were significantly higher in Post-M than in Pre-M, and the risk of hypertension reached a peak level in the lower 5-year group (OR=1.54; 95% CI, 0.88–2.68, p = 0.02). After adjusting for confounders, this study showed that postmenopausal status was an independent risk factor for hypertension. The risk of hypertension was highest in Post-M with less than or equal to 5 years from menopause.