Behaviour of the carotid wall in menopausal women with and without arterial hypertension

Objective: A study was conducted on the carotid vascular wall to evaluate its behaviour in postmenopausal women suffering from arterial hypertension compared to normotensive postmenopausal women, Method: Intima-media thickness(IMT) of carotid artery was determined by ecoduplex scanner in 182 postmenopausal women (age range 40-60 years) divided in four age classes (40-45, 46-50, 51-55, 55-60 years). Ninety-one women presented normal arterial blood pressure (SBP 136.6 +/- 11.7 and DBP 82.3 +/- 8.9 mmHg) and 91 were hypertensive (SBP 172.6 +/- 11.7 and DBP 97.4 +/- 6.6 mmHg). Results: The normotensive women presented the following IMT values: 1.19 +/- 0.21 mm (40-45 years), 1.21 +/- 0.25 mm (46-50 years), 1.25 +/- 0.20 mm (51-55 years), 1.25 +/- 0.20 min (55-60 years). IMT values in hypertensive women were: 1.75 +/- 0.25 mm (40-45 years), 1.77 +/- 0.30 mm (45-50 years), 1.91 +/- 0.28 mm (51-55 years), 2.02 +/- 0.33 mm (55-60 years). ANOVA test was performed in both groups of women and did not show any significant difference in the four age classes of normotensive women. On the other hand it revealed a statistical significance between 40-45 and 46-59-year-old hypertensive classes (P < 0.001) and between 51-55 and 55-60-year-old hypertensive classes (P < 0.02). Conclusions: There was a correlation between age and IMT in the arterial hypertensives, especially in two older classes, and between the duration of menopause and IMT values. The results indicated that carotid wall thickening was constantly higher in hypertensive women compared with normotensive ones. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.