MENOPAUSE IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STIFFNESS OF THE COMMON CAROTID-ARTERY IN 50-YEAR-OLD WOMEN

To determine if menopause has an effect on the elasticity of the arter ies, the stiffness index of the common carotid artery was studied in 8 4 premenopausal and 139 post-menopausal women. The study group was age -homogeneous, all women being 50 years of age. There were no significa nt differences between pre-and post-menopausal women regarding atheros clerosis, when measured as the number of subjects with plaques or inti mal-medial thickness. The diameter of the common carotid artery was si gnificantly larger in post-menopausal women. The diameter was correlat ed to measurements of body size which did not, however, differ between the two groups. The mean stiffness indexes were 4.99 +/- 1.02 and 5.3 8 +/- 1.21 in the pre-and post-menopausal groups respectively (P<0.05) . In a multivariate analysis, menopause (P<0.05), and also serum insul in levels (P<0.01) and smoking (P<0.05) were found to have independent significant associations to the stiffness index. In conclusion, menop ause is associated with reduced elasticity of the carotid arteries in 50-year-old women.