Endocrine Abstracts

Aim of the Study: The main objectives were to examine the incidence of hyperlipoproteinemia in postmenopausal women and to determine the differences in lipid profile considering age, duration of menopause and body mass index in postmenopausal women.

Material and Methods: The research was structured as a cross-sectional research with historical data. The research used data collected during regular check-ups in primary health care clinics in the Osijek Health Center, Croatia, from November 2021 to March 2022. Collected data were: demographic data, information on the duration of menopause, body mass, body height, body mass index, values of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides and data on associated diseases.

Results: The study included 98 postmenopausal women, median age of 68. The median duration of postmenopause was 17 years. Statin therapy was used in 40.8% of respondents. Over 50% of respondents had elevated total cholesterol values (median: 5.60 mmol/l) and LDL cholesterol values (median: 3.25 mmol/l). 39.8% of respondents had elevated triglyceride values (median: 1.50 mmol/l). The values of total cholesterol (Kruskal Wallis test, P0.001) and LDL cholesterol (Kruskal Wallis test, P0.01) were significantly higher in the group of respondents aged 45 to 64 years, compared to older respondents. No significant differences were found in lipid profile in relation to the duration of postmenopause and the body mass index. Using the SCORE2 table, it was estimated that 65% of the respondents had a very high cardiovascular risk and 24% of them had a high cardiovascular risk. Only 6% of the respondents achieved the target values of LDL cholesterol. Respondents who did not reach the target values were significantly older (Mann Whitney U test, P0.01) and for a longer period of time in menopause (Mann Whitney U test, P0.009) compared to the respondents who achieved the lipid profile target values. No association of body mass index with the achievement of lipid profile target values was found.

Conclusion: Incidence of hyperlipoproteinemia in postmenopausal women is very high. Age and duration of menopause have an impact on the poorer achievement of the target values of the lipid profile. Given the high prevalence of respondents with a very high cardiovascular risk intensive interventions are needed at all levels of health care which include non-pharmacological and pharmacological methods of treating hyperlipoproteinemia.

Keywords: cardiovascular risk score; hyperlipoproteinemia; HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; postmenopause