RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF MENOPAUSAL STATUS, AGE, AND BODY-MASS INDEX ON BLOOD-PRESSURE

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of menopausal status on blood pressure levels in a cross-sectional population study in the setting of a preventive health care program clinically conducte d in Ferrara, Italy. The patients were 2397 healthy women 35 to 65 yea rs old (489 in premenopause, 847 in perimenopause, 887 in spontaneous menopause, and 174 in surgical menopause); subgroups were also obtaine d with increasing duration of menopause (1 to >5 years) matched with p remenopausal and perimenopausal women by chronological age at onset of menopause. Measurements of sphygmomanometric blood pressure, age, age at menopause, duration of menopause, and body mass index were made. P ostmenopausal women had higher blood pressure than premenopausal and p erimenopausal subjects. After adjustment for body mass index, the bloo d pressure changes with menopausal status were still significant, but not after correction by age. The increased risk of hypertension of pos tmenopausal women also lost statistical significance after adjustment for age and body mass index. At multivariate analysis, blood pressure showed no significant relation with the duration of menopause, whereas age was a significant covariant for systolic blood pressure, and body mass index for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A transient ini tial rise in blood pressure and body mass index was detected in surgic al but not in spontaneous menopause. Blood pressure rises after menopa use appear to be due more to increased body mass index and aging than ovarian failure per se.