Changes linked to future heart disease in women may begin nearly two decades before menopause, a new study suggests, challenging the long-held belief that menopause is the main trigger for age-related cardiovascular changes.
This has traditionally been attributed to menopause and the decline in estrogen levels. However, the new research suggests the process may begin years before menopause starts. The study explains that widening pulse pressure is increasingly recognised as an important marker of cardiovascular health. Elevated pulse pressure is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, dementia and kidney disease.
The research, published in Hypertension on September 14, found that pulse pressure — the difference between the top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure reading — begins rising in women in their late 30s, about a decade earlier than in men. The study’s authors analysed data from more than 6,500 women and more than 3,000 men participating in the Framingham Heart Study, one of the world’s longest-running cardiovascular research projects. Participants underwent three health assessments over a 14-year period.
Because some medications are less effective when arteries become stiff, it may also make high blood pressure harder to control.
“To our huge surprise, our results suggest that factors other than the timing of the final menstrual period were likely involved in the accelerated increase in pulse pressure in women after midlife,” noted Gary F Mitchell, an investigator with the Framingham Heart Study. Researchers said the results highlight the importance of paying closer attention to women’s cardiovascular health well before midlife and suggest that monitoring pulse pressure may help identify future heart risks earlier.
The findings of the new study suggest that changes affecting blood vessel health may begin much earlier in women than previously understood.
