ICEECE2012 Poster Presentations Cardiovascular Endocrinology and Lipid Metabolism (74 abstracts)
Subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness are associated with levels of circulating androgens in healthy recently menopausal women
E. Armeni 1 , K. Stamatelopoulos 2 , M. Creatsa 1 , D. Rizos 3 , G. Georgiopoulos 2 , M. Kazani b , A. Alexandrou 1 , S. Dendrinos a , A. Augoulea 1 , C. Papamichael 2 & I. Lambrinoudaki 1
12nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Athens, Greece; 2Department of Therapeutics, Athens, Greece; 3Hormonal Laboratory, Athens, Greece.
Introduction: Endogenous sex hormones may affect the cardiovascular risk profile in postmenopausal women indirectly by inducing metabolic, hemodynamic and immunological changes as well as directly through steroid receptors on the arterial wall. The results however, remain controversial.
Objectives: This cross-sectional study aims to examine associations between circulating sex hormone levels and indices of vascular function and structure.
Methods: One hundred and twenty healthy postmenopausal women, aged 41–60 years, were recruited. We performed biochemical and hormonal evaluation, including levels of FSH, LH, estradiol, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, DHEAS, and Δ4-androstenedione. Indices of arterial structure and function included carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (IMT) and atheromatous plaques presence as well as flow-mediated dilation of brachial artery, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (A.I.). Possible associations between circulating sex hormones and surrogate markers of vascular function and structure were investigated.
Results: Free androgen index predicted significantly mean levels of common carotid artery IMT (β=0.236, P value=0.014) as well as levels of PWV (β=0.254, P value=0.027) in multivariate models that included other confounders (e.g. age, smoking, BMI, HOMA-IR and blood lipids). Free estrogen index had a significant positive effect on PWV, but not independently of HOMA-IR and blood lipids. Age-adjusted levels of DHEAS exhibited a significant independent negative association with measures of A.I. (β=−0.267, P value=0.029). None of the remaining hormones associated with any of the vascular parameters independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusion: Circulating testosterone is associated with both subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in healthy recently menopausal women, independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors or insulin resistance indicating a possible direct association. On the contrary, serum DHEAS exhibits a negative association with arterial stiffness. The documentation of elevated androgens as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease will have important implications with regard to primary prevention policies.
Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.
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Endocrine Abstracts
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