[Incidence and Risk Factors of Dyslipidemia after Menopause].

PURPOSE

This study was aimed at investigating the incidence and risk factors of dyslipidemia in menopausal women using a Korean community-based longitudinal study.

METHODS

The subjects were 245 postmenopausal women without dyslipidemia who had participated in the Ansan-Ansung cohort study from 20012002 (baseline) to 20152016 (seventh follow-up visit). The dyslipidemia incidence was measured as incidence proportion (%) and incidence rate per 100 person-years. The predictors of developing dyslipidemia were analyzed with Cox's proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

The incidence of new dyslipidemia during the follow-up period was 78.4% (192 patients), and 11.9 per 100 person-years. Mean duration from menopause to developing dyslipidemia was 5.3 years in new dyslipidemia cases. The triglyceride/high density lipoprotein (TG/HDL-C) ratio at baseline (hazard ratio = 2.20; 95% confidence interval = 1.39~3.48) was independently associated with developing dyslipidemia.

CONCLUSION

Dyslipidemia occurs frequently in postmenopausal women, principally within five years after menopause. Therefore, steps must be taken to prevent dyslipidemia immediately after menopause, particularly in women with a high TG/HDL-C ratio at the start of menopause.