Evaluation of the presence and severity of menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal women screened for the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (METS) increases after the menopause. Reports indicate that the METS and its components, especially obesity, enhance the intensity of menopausal symptoms.

Objective: Assess the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Factors related to the symptom severity were also analyzed including depressive and metabolic status.

Methods: A total of 204 natural postmenopausal women (40–65 years) participating in a METS screening program were asked to fill out the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and a general socio-demographic questionnaire containing personal and partner data. Criteria of the American Heart Association were used to define the METS.

Results: Median age of the whole sample was 56 years. A 52.9% presented the METS, with 37.3% presenting hyperglycemia, 51.5% hypertension, 58.3% abdominal obesity, 45.6% high triglyceride and 56.4% low HDL-C levels. Total and subscale MRS scores did not differ in accordance to the presence or not of the METS. The three top prevalent menopausal symptoms were muscle and joint problems (87.2%), physical and mental exhaustion (72%) and depressive mood (64.7%). A 19.6% of women presented total MRS scores above 16 defined as severe. Multivariate linear regression analysis determined that anxiety (higher HADS anxiety subscale scores) was significantly and positively correlated with all components of the MRS (Total and subscale scores). Higher total MRS scores correlated positively with abdominal perimeter and higher parity. Somatic scores correlated inversely with female education and positively with psychotropic drug use; and psychological MRS scores positively correlated depressed mood (higher HADS depressive subscale scores) and abdominal perimeter.

Conclusion: In this postmenopausal sample, severity of menopausal symptoms correlated to abdominal obesity, mood and other personal aspects.

Chinese abstract

背景：绝经后代谢综合征（METS）的患病率增加。报道表明，METS及其组分，尤其是肥胖，会增加绝经期症状的严重性。

目的：评估绝经后妇女绝经状的频率和严重程度。同时分析与症状的严重程度相关的因素包括抑郁症状和代谢状况。

方法：204名自然绝经的妇女（40-65岁）参加了METS筛选项目，要求她们填写绝经评定量表（MRS），医院焦虑和抑郁量表（HADS）, 一份包含个人及其伴侣信息的总体社会人口调查问卷。METS由美国心脏协会的标准定义。

结果：整个样本的年龄中位数为56岁。52.9%表现为METS，37.3%表现为高血糖，51.5%表现为高血压，58.3%为腹型肥胖，45.6%为高甘油三酯，56.4%为低HDL-C水平。总量表和分量表评分不因存在或无METS而有差异。前三位常见的更年期症状为肌肉与关节症状（87.2%），生理及心理疲倦（72%）和抑郁情绪（64.7%）。总MRS评分在16分以上者定义为严重，有19.6%的女性。多元线性回归分析表明，焦虑（HADS焦虑分量表评分较高）与MRS各组分（总量表及分量表）呈显著正相关。MPS总得分较高者与腹围和多产次呈正相关。身体评分与妇女的受教育程度呈负相关，与精神药物的使用呈正相关；心理MRS评分与抑郁情绪（HADS抑郁分量表得分较高）及腹围呈正相关。

结论:在该绝经后样本中，绝经症状的严重性与腹围、情绪和其他个人因素相关。

• Hospital anxiety and depression scale
• menopausal symptoms
• menopause rating scale
• metabolic syndrome
• postmenopause

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank the women who participated in this initiative and also Isabel Vintimilla-Sigüenza, Lucía Romero-Huete, Winston Jaramillo, Flor López, Rita Loja, Cecibel Ramírez, Isabel Naranjo, María F. Carpio and Christian Cando-Dumancela for their support.