Role of sex hormones in etiopathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

Objective and design: Many observations suggest that hormones take part in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and play a role in sex- and age dependent incidence of ischaemic heart disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of selected sex hormones and find correlations between the concentration of studied sex hormones and the risk factors of ischaemic heart disease in postmenopausal women with diagnosed ischaemic heart disease.
Materials: Studies were performed in 68 women –35 women with ischaemic heart disease and 33 healthy women in the control group (all women were at least one year after menopause).
Methods: In all patients and control subjects the concentration of the following hormones was determined: estrone, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, testosterone, FSH, LH, SHBG and the following lipids: total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (HDL2 and HDL3), triglycerides, lipid peroxides. Moreover, height, body weight, waist and hip circumference, BMI and WHR were measured. Statistical analysis of results was done with use of Student-T and U Mann-Whitney test.
Conclusions: 1. It was found that in post-menopause women with ischaemic heart disease the estradiol concentration was significantly lower than in healthy women, which may suggest a protective role of this hormone inhibiting the development of atheromatosis by its metabolic and neurohormonal properties. 2. BMI was significantly higher in female patients with ischaemic heart disease than control group. WHR value was higher in female patients than in helathy women. BOTH higher BMI and WHR index in women with ischaemic heart disease inversly correlated with SHBG concentration, which suggests relations between sex hormones and risk factors for ischaemic heart disease.