Study on Body Mass Index, Serum C-Reactive Protein and Their Association with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women.

Menopause is the natural process of ageing when women pass from reproductive to non -reproductive phase with the cessation of cyclical ovarian functions. After menopause women are usually troubled by increasing weight and waist circumference caused by obesity and androidal fat redistribution. With the increase in life expectancy resulting in women living one half to one third of their lives after menopause, the high incidence of overweight and obesity in women have become important public health concerns. In postmenopausal women, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the most significant predictors of cardiovascular disease and heart attack risk. In middle aged women, the risk of a coronary event rises dramatically after onset of menopause corresponding to decreased levels of circulating endogenous estrogens. Both body mass index (BMI) and serum CRP are significantly higher among postmenopausal women as compared with reproductive aged women. To assess the BMI and serum CRP level changes in healthy postmenopausal women in order to compare this parameter with healthy reproductive aged women. This comparative study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from July, 2018 to June, 2019. Two hundred healthy women (100 female were postmenopausal as study group and 100 female were reproductive aged women as control group) aged between 25 to 65 years were enrolled in this study. BMI was calculated as weight in kilogram divided by the height in meter square. Serum CRP by CRP-Latex Test (Slide agglutination procedure). Data were expressed as mean±SD and statistical significance of difference among the group was calculated by unpaired students' 't' test. The mean value ±SD of BMI and serum CRP level was higher in postmenopausal group in comparison to the reproductive women group. This study concludes, BMI and Serum C-Reactive protein level increased in postmenopausal women.