Serum Lipid Profile Alterations and Cardiovascular Risk in Post-Menopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Menopause is a phase of woman’s natural aging process and is marked by the cessation of ovarian function. The increased incidence of cardiovascular risk in the post-menopausal women may partly be due to hormonal changes leading to derangement of lipid metabolism. Aim of the Study: To study the serum lipid profile among post-menopausal women attending AMCH Method This was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 156 post-menopausal women attending Out Patient Department of Medicine at AMCH. A structured questionnaire was administered and relevant sociodemographic information was obtained. Serum Lipid profile level was recorded for all the samples. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results The study showed there was mild increase in serum Triglycerides, Total cholesterol, and LDL in post-menopausal women while there was mild decrease in serum HDL level in post-menopausal women. In present study, out of 156 study subjects, the serum Triglycerides, Total cholesterol, and LDL level were found to be elevated in 48.7%, 23.7% and 14.7% study subject respectively while serum HDL level below normal was found in 10.9% of the study subjects. Serum HDL had statistically significant (p < 0.05) association with different age group while serum TG, TC, and LDL were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The serum TG, TC, LDL had a weak negative correlation (r = -0.13, p = 0.09), (r = -0.02, p = 0.78), (r = -0.06, p = 0.40) with age respectively. The serum HDL had a weak positive correlation (r = 0.17, p = 0.03) with age. Conclusion Post-menopausal women are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease due to change in the lipid pattern and loss of cardio protective effect of estrogen. Predicting the factors affecting the lipid profile in post-menopausal women, adopting strategies to control these mechanisms by modifying the relative risk factors during menopausal transition may improve the cardiovascular risk profile in these women.