The Relationship Between Earlier Onset of Natural Menopause and Elevated Urinary Albumin-Creatinine Ratio in Postmenopausal Chinese Women.

Abstract

PurposeThere is a close correlation between menopausal age and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Some research suggests that this risk is attributable to an elevated urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), but further work is needed to explore the link between UACR and age at time of menopause.Patients and MethodsData analyzed in the present study were derived from seven regional centers participating in the REACTION study. A total of 21,672 postmenopausal women met with our study inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were split into three groups based upon their age at onset of natural menopause. A UACR ≥ 30 mg/g was the primary outcome measure for this study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a logistic regression approach.ResultsRelative to women who were 46–50 years old at time of natural menopause, those with an earlier onset of menopause (≤45 years) exhibited an increased risk of UACR elevation following adjustment for confounding variables (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04–1.33), whereas the opposite was true for women with a later age of menopause onset (>50 years) (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.78–0.94). For every 1-year delay in the onset of menopause, UACR risk fell by 3% (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96–0.98).ConclusionIn summary, early menopause (≤45 years old) was linked to a higher risk of UACR elevation in postmenopausal women. However, further work will be needed to understand the mechanistic basis for these findings.