Constipation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Postmenopausal Women
Posted on Wed, Jul 27, 2011
Constipation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Postmenopausal Women
American Journal of Medicine, 07/27/2011
Salmoirago-Blotcher E et al. - In postmenopausal women, constipation is a marker for cardiovascular risk factors and increased cardiovascular risk. Because constipation is easily assessed, it may be a helpful tool to identify women with increased cardiovascular risk.
Methods
- The authors conducted a secondary analysis in 93,676 women enrolled in the observational arm of the Women's Health Initiative.
- Constipation was evaluated at baseline by a self-administered questionnaire.
- Estimates of the risk of cardiovascular events (cumulative end point including mortality from coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, angina, coronary revascularization, stroke, and transient ischemic attack) were derived from Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographics, risk factors, and other clinical variables (median follow-up 6.9 years).
Results
- The analysis included 73,047 women.
- Constipation was associated with increased age, African American and Hispanic descent, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, family history of myocardial infarction, hypertension, obesity, lower physical activity levels, lower fiber intake, and depression.
- Women with moderate and severe constipation experienced more ...read more
Read all
Family Medicine articles at MDLinx.com