ECE2016 Eposter Presentations Cardiovascular Endocrinology and Lipid Metabolism (51 abstracts)
Follicle stimulating hormone levels and subclinical atherosclerosis in older postmenopausal women
Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson 1, , Jyrki Virtanen 2 , Tarja Nurmi 2 , Jaakko Mursu 2 , Sari Voutilainen 2 , Kimmo Ronkainen 2 , Leo Niskanen 3, , Jussi Kauhanen 2 & Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen 2
1Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; 2Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 3Department of Endocrinology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; 4Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Objective: Recent studies of perimenopausal women suggest that follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels may be associated with atherosclerosis, independent of actions of estradiol (E2). Whether FSH is related to atherosclerosis in older postmenopausal women, who have completed the menopausal transition, remains unknown.
Approach: We assessed the relation of FSH and E2 levels with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) among 588 postmenopausal women participating in the prospective Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease (KIHD) Risk Factor study (1998–2001). Women were aged 53–73 and not using hormone therapy.
Results: We observed a significant inverse association between FSH levels and IMT. Mean IMT in quartiles 1–4 of FSH were 0.94, 0.91, 0.87, and 0.85 mm, respectively (P<0.001). After adjustment for age, E2, testosterone, BMI, lipids, insulin, glucose, comorbid conditions and other factors, FSH levels remained inversely and significantly associated with IMT (Regression coefficients for quartiles 2–4 vs quartile 1: −0.039, −0.050, and −0.063, respectively; P for trend=0.01). Findings were strongest in women aged 64–73 (P for trend=0.005) and did not vary by category of BMI. In contrast, E2 levels were not related to IMT.
Conclusions: We observed significantly lower IMT in women with the highest FSH levels in older postmenopausal women. Associations were not explained by E2, adiposity or other factors. Our findings warrant replication and the further exploration of potential underlying mechanisms.
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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