Chow S N, Huang C C, Lee Y T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, Taipei, ROC.
J Formos Med Assoc. 1997 Oct;96(10):806-11.
This report describes the medical and demographic characteristics of menopausal women in Taiwan in order to provide information for consideration during future healthcare planning. The medical and demographic data analyzed were taken from officially published materials of the Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, our own studies, and those of other researchers. In 1994, the average lifespan of men in Taiwan was 71.8 years and that of women was 77.7 years. The age of menarche was 13.6 years and the age of menopause was 49.5 years. Women aged 50 and over accounted for 18.3% of the total female population and 8.9% of the total population in Taiwan. In 1994, 68.9% of women in Taiwan aged 50 and over were married. The most frequently occurring menopausal symptoms in Taiwanese women were lumbago or low backpain (68%), fatigue (59%), impairment of memory (55%), vaginal dryness (50%), and hot flushes and sweating (49%). The spinal bone mineral density of women decreased markedly after the age of 50 years. The prevalence of vertebral fracture in women 65 years and over was 19.8%, which was higher than the 12.5% in men of the same age group. The prevalence of hypertension and coronary heart disease in women 50 years or older was also higher than in men. The most frequent sites of cancer in women in 1992 were the cervix uteri, breast, sigmoid colon and rectum, lungs, liver, stomach, thyroid, ovaries, hemopoietic and reticuloendothelial systems, and skin. There were 14,298 newly reported cases of malignant neoplasms in women in 1992. About 60% of these occurred in women aged 50 years or more. The median age of occurrence of cervix uteri, breast, and ovarian cancers was 48 to 49 years, which is very close to the menopause age. About 30% of menopausal women in Taiwan are currently living without a husband. Although 18.3% of women in Taiwan were at least 50 years old, approximately 60% of all malignant neoplasms in the female population occurred in this group. There is an urgent need for menopausal women in Taiwan to receive psychologic support and comprehensive medical care.
本报告描述了台湾更年期女性的医学和人口统计学特征，以便为未来医疗保健规划提供参考信息。所分析的医学和人口统计学数据取自中国台湾地区官方发布的资料、我们自己的研究以及其他研究人员的研究。1994年，台湾男性的平均寿命为71.8岁，女性为77.7岁。初潮年龄为13.6岁，绝经年龄为49.5岁。50岁及以上的女性占台湾女性总人口的18.3%，占总人口的8.9%。1994年，台湾50岁及以上的女性中68.9%已婚。台湾女性最常见的更年期症状是腰痛（68%）、疲劳（59%）、记忆力减退（55%）、阴道干燥（50%）以及潮热和出汗（49%）。50岁以后女性的脊柱骨密度明显下降。65岁及以上女性的椎体骨折患病率为19.8%，高于同年龄组男性的12.5%。50岁及以上女性的高血压和冠心病患病率也高于男性。1992年女性最常见的癌症发病部位是子宫颈、乳房、乙状结肠和直肠、肺、肝、胃、甲状腺、卵巢、造血和网状内皮系统以及皮肤。1992年女性新报告的恶性肿瘤病例有14298例。其中约60%发生在50岁及以上的女性中。子宫颈癌、乳腺癌和卵巢癌的发病中位年龄为48至49岁，与绝经年龄非常接近。台湾约30%的更年期女性目前丧偶独居。虽然台湾18.3%的女性年龄至少为50岁，但女性人口中约60%的所有恶性肿瘤发生在该年龄组。台湾更年期女性迫切需要心理支持和全面的医疗护理。
