Dyslipidemia And Reduced Estrogen Level As Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease In Post Menopausal Hypertensive Women

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation and prevalence of hypertension increases after menopause. Menopause leads to changes in lipid profile due to hormonal changes related to menopause and may increase the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hence, the present study attempts to compare the levels of lipid parameters and estrogen between pre and post-menopausal hypertensive women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 post-menopausal hypertensive women and 50 pre-menopausal hypertensive women were recruited for the study. In both pre and post-menopausal hypertensive women, serum estrogen and serum lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol and VLDL-Cholesterol] were measured. The comparison of parameters between both pre and post-menopausal hypertensive women was carried out using student t test. RESULT: There was significant increase in serum Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol levels in post-menopausal hypertensive women as compared to pre-menopausal hypertensive women. HDL-cholesterol and estrogen levels were significantly decreased in post-menopausal hypertensive women compared to pre-menopausal hypertensive women. CONCLUSION: The alteration of lipid profile in post menopausal hypertensive women indicate their higher risk for the development of cardiovascular disease in future. However, further studies are needed to accept the concept. KEY WORDS: Post-menopausal women, Lipid profile, estrogen, cardiovascular disease