Risk factors and risk assessment in menopause

With age morbidity is increasing, The accumulation of risk factors and of r isk constellations of different organ systems as well as the interaction be tween different organ systems lead to this increasing risk. The individual quality of life and the overall way of life is therewith altered. Postmenop ausal women have focused demands concerning their well being, health and qu ality of life. All this should preference the use of preventive measures an d health supporting strategies. The basis for directed changes in life styl e are the knowledge about disease specific risk factors and individual risk asses;ment. Individual risk assessment could be performed by risk scores. At present, either risk scores assessing specific organ systems or scores a bout cognitive functions or menopausal symptoms are published. Difficulties in the development of an overall risk score include the determination of t he relevant organ systems, the choice of the most important risk factors an d their value for the chosen organ system. In the future due to the increas ing age of the population the development of risk scores is of significance for individual risk reduction and prevention. This paper summarizes the kn owledge about organ-specific risk factors and published risk scores.