Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate are there associations between common female sex-specific health conditions (oligo/amenorrhea, hyperandrogenism, menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS]) and high-sensitivity troponin-T (hs-TnT) levels.
Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of a general population-based prospective cohort study were performed. The hs-TnT levels of 3146 women aged 46 were measured using an Elecsys® Troponin T high-sensitivity assay. Median hs-TnT levels and 25 and 75 percentiles of the cases and controls were compared. Also, a logistic regression analysis using a binary outcome - undetectable hs-TnT (< 3.0 ng/L) versus detectable hs-TnT (≥ 3.0 ng/L) - was performed.
Results: Women with oligo/amenorrhea at age 31 had significantly higher hs-TnT levels at age 46 than women without oligo/amenorrhea (4.06 [3.59; 4.86] vs 3.98 [3.44; 4.71] ng/L, p = .042). Menopausal women had significantly higher hs-TnT levels than premenopausal women (4.15 [3.54; 4.91] vs 3.95 [3.45; 4.68] ng/L, p = .012) at age 46. Women with PCOS or hyperandrogenism had comparable hs-TnT levels with their controls. In the adjusted logistic regression analysis, oligo/amenorrhea (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52 [0.90-2.57]), hyperandrogenism (OR = 1.20 [0.75-1.92]), PCOS (OR = 1.51 [0.81-2.84]) and menopause (OR = 1.05 [0.63-1.74]) were not significantly associated with detectable hs-TnT.
Conclusions: This study was the first to investigate how oligo/amenorrhea, hyperandrogenism, PCOS and menopause are associated with hs-TnT. Although women with oligo/amenorrhea and menopause had higher hs-TnT levels than women without these conditions, the difference was small. Larger studies are required to better understand the effects of oligo/amenorrhea on cardiovascular health.
Keywords: Troponin; hyperandrogenism; menopause; oligomenorrhea; polycystic ovary syndrome.
No previous studies have investigated the association between common female sex-specific health conditions, such as oligo/amenorrhea, hyperandrogenism and PCOS, and hs-TnT levels. Only one prior study has investigated the association between menopause and hs-TnT levels.Hs-TnT levels were significantly higher in women with oligo/amenorrhea and relatively early menopause at age 46 than women without these conditions, whereas women with hyperandrogenism or PCOS and their controls have comparable hs-TnT levels.The effect of oligo/amenorrhea on cardiovascular health should be further investigated. A simple question about the presence of oligo/amenorrhea might identify women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.