Early menopause does not influence left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: A clinical observational study in healthy subjects

Menopausal age does not affect ventricular structure and function: a Mendelian randomization study

OBJECTIVES

Observational studies have suggested an association between age at natural menopause (ANM) and ventricular structure and function. Nevertheless, the causal relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the causal effects of ANM on ventricular structure and function by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

METHODS

Genome-wide association summary statistics for ANM and 16 ventricular structures and functions were obtained. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary MR approach for assessing causal associations. In addition, three additional MR methods (MR-Egger, weighted median and weighted mode) were performed to complement the IVW method. Furthermore, various sensitivity tests were conducted to evaluate the reliability of the MR results.

RESULTS

The IVW method identified no causal association between ANM and all 16 ventricular structures or functions (p > 0.05). Three additional MR methods yielded parallel results to the IVW approach (p > 0.05). Various sensitivity tests revealed stability of the MR results, indicating no heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy.

CONCLUSION

The present MR study indicated that ANM would not causally affect ventricular structure or function. Therefore, the correlation between ANM and ventricular characteristics in previous observational studies might be attributed to shared upstream cardiovascular risk factors or unidentified genetic mutations that simultaneously affect both ANM and ventricular structure and function.

Associations between menopause, cardiac remodeling, and diastolic function: the CARDIA study

OBJECTIVES

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) affects more women than men. Menopause may influence HFpEF development in women. We assessed cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between menopause and echocardiographic measures of left ventricular (LV) function and cardiac remodeling.

METHODS

We studied 1,723 women with available echo data from at least two of: year 5 (Y5) (1990-1991), Y25 (2010-2011), or Y30 (2015-2016) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. Cardiac structure and function were measured using 2D and Doppler echocardiography. Cross-sectional associations between menopausal status and repeated echo measures at Y25 and Y30 were analyzed using linear mixed models. Two-segmented models were used to compare longitudinal changes in echocardiographic measures in the premenopausal period to changes in the postmenopausal period.

RESULTS

Mean ± SD age (years) at enrollment was 27 ± 3 in those with menopause by Y25, 25 ± 3 in those with menopause between Y25 and Y30, and 21 ± 3 in those premenopausal at Y30. There were no significant differences in race, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, or diabetes between the groups. Postmenopausal women had higher early diastolic mitral inflow (E) to annular (e') velocity ratio than premenopausal after adjusting for demographics and risk factors (P < 0.05). Menopause was associated with relative increases in the rates of change in LV mass and left atrial volume, even after adjustment. Change in E/e' ratio was similar before and after menopause.

CONCLUSIONS

Menopause is associated cross-sectionally with worse diastolic function and longitudinally with adverse LV and left atrial remodeling. This may contribute to the increased HFpEF risk in postmenopausal women.

Effects of hormone replacement therapy on left ventricular diastolic function in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Postmenopausal women tend to experience significant changes in left ventricular diastolic function (LVDF). However, there are conflicting reports about LVDF between postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and those not on HRT. This meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of HRT on LVDF in postmenopausal women.

METHODS

We conducted a systemic review of randomized controlled trials published up to December 31 2019 using Embase, Pubmed, and the Cochrane library database.

RESULTS

Eight studies involving 668 postmenopausal women were identified. Our analysis indicated that the ratio of the peak velocity during early filing to late filling from atrial contraction improvement in HRT group was better than that in placebo group (MD 0.20, 95%CI 0.12 to 0.28). There was a significant reduction in deceleration time and left ventricular mass index in HRT group compared with placebo group (MD -21.01, 95%CI -40.11 to -1.91 vs MD -8.26, 95%CI -14.10 to -2.42). No significant difference was observed in left ventricular end systole diameter (MD 0.80, 95%CI -0.72 to 2.31), left ventricular end diastole diameter (MD -0.07, 95%CI -1.25 to 1.10), left atrial size (MD -0.33, 95%CI -1.34 to 0.68)and the isovolumic relaxation time (MD -12.08, 95%CI -27.65 to 3.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis illustrated that postmenopausal women seem to obtain more beneficial effects from HRT on LVDF, though future studies are required to elucidate the specific mechanisms for this phenomenon.

Astragalus Membranaceus Improving Asymptomatic Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Hypertensive Women with Metabolic Syndrome: A Prospective, Open-Labeled, Randomized Controlled Trial

Background:

Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) have increased cardiovascular morbidity and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). The various protective effects of astragalus membranaceus (AM) have been described in previous studies. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different doses of AM on diastolic function in postmenopausal hypertensive women with MetS.

Methods:

This was a prospective, randomized controlled study. The postmenopausal hypertensive patients with MetS were enrolled from Lanzhou University Second Hospital from March 2014 to April 2015. Patients were divided into three groups: control group (received conventional medical treatment), AM Group 1 (received AM capsules at 5 g/d additionally), and AM Group 2 (received AM capsules at 10 g/d additionally). Echocardiographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated before and 12 months after treatment. Quantitative data were analyzed using unpaired t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results:

A total of 154 patients were subjected to final analysis. In the AM Group 2, significant improvements were noted in diastolic function 12 months after treatment than those of the control group, including the early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E’; 0.065 ± 0.007 m/s vs. 0.061 ± 0.008 m/s, P = 0.014), the ratio of the early diastolic mitral peak flow velocity to the late diastolic mitral peak flow velocity (E/A; 0.81 ± 0.05 vs. 0.80 ± 0.06, P = 0.012), the ratio of E’ to the late diastolic mitral annular velocity (E’/A’; 0.56 ± 0.12 vs. 0.51 ± 0.13, P = 0.048), and the ratio of the early diastolic mitral peak flow velocity (E) to E’ (E/E’; 10.70 ± 1.30 vs. 11.37 ± 1.73, P = 0.031). After treatment, E/E’ (10.70 ± 1.30 vs. 11.24 ± 1.56, P = 0.021), deceleration time (DT; 261.49 ± 44.41 ms vs. 268.74 ± 53.87 ms, P = 0.046), and E’/A’ (0.56 ± 0.12 vs. 0.52 ± 0.13, P = 0.019) values improved more significantly than those of AM Group 2 before treatment. Besides, waist circumference was positively correlated with E’ (r = 0.472; P = 0.003) and E’/A’ (r = 0.321; P = 0.047). In addition, the waist-to-hip ratio was a significant predictor of DT (r = 0.276; P = 0.041), E’ (r = −0.590; P < 0.001), E/E’ (r = 0.454; P = 0.004), and E’/A’ (r = −0.377; P = 0.018).

Conclusions:

Conventional medical plus AM therapy improved diastolic function. Moreover, WC and WHR might be risk factors for LVDD.

Chinese Clinical Trial Register:

ChiCTR-TRC-11001747. http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=7798.

Blunting of cardioprotective actions of estrogen in female rodent heart linked to altered expression of cardiac tissue chymase and ACE2

Background:

Diastolic dysfunction develops in response to hypertension and estrogen (E2) loss and is a forerunner to heart failure (HF) in women. The cardiac renin–angiotensin system (RAS) contributes to diastolic dysfunction, but its role with respect to E2 and blood pressure remain unclear.

Methods:

We compared the effects of ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery on the cardiac RAS, left ventricular (LV) structure/function, and systemic/intracardiac pressures of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs: n = 6 intact and 6 OVX) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY: n = 5 intact and 4 OVX) controls.

Results:

WKY rats were more sensitive to OVX than SHRs with respect to worsening of diastolic function, as reflected by increases in Doppler-derived filling pressures (E/e′) and reductions in myocardial relaxation (e′). This pathobiologic response in WKY rats was directly linked to increases in cardiac gene expression and enzymatic activity of chymase and modest reductions in ACE2 activity. No overt changes in cardiac RAS genes or activities were observed in SHRs, but diastolic function was inversely related to ACE2 activity.

Conclusion:

Endogenous estrogens exert a more significant regulatory role upon biochemical components of the cardiac RAS of WKY versus SHRs, modulating the lusitropic and structural components of its normotensive phenotype.

Cardiac Adaptations to High-Intensity Aerobic Training in Premenopausal and Recent Postmenopausal Women: The Copenhagen Women Study

BACKGROUND

We examined the role of menopause on cardiac dimensions and function and assessed the efficacy of exercise training before and after menopause.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Two groups of healthy premenopausal (n=36, 49.4±0.3 years) and postmenopausal (n=37, 53.5±0.5 years) women with no history of cardiovascular disease and with a mean age difference between groups of only 4 years were studied. Cardiac dimensions and systolic and diastolic function were determined by transthoracic echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging and 2-dimensional speckle tracking. Measurements were performed at baseline and after a 12-week period of high-intensity aerobic cycle training. LV internal diastolic diameter and LV mass were similar in the 2 groups at baseline and increased by ≈2% to 8% (P=0.04-0.0007) with training in both groups. Left atrial end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were similar for both groups and increased by 23% to 36% (P=0.0006-0.0001) with training. Systolic function assessed by mean global strain was similar in both groups at baseline and increased by ≈8% (P=0.0004) with training in the postmenopausal group. LV displacement increased by ≈3% (P=0.04) in the premenopausal women only. Diastolic function assessed by E/A ratio was similar at baseline and increased by ≈7% (P=0.01) in the premenopausal group and 11% (P=0.0001) in the postmenopausal group with training.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that training-induced cardiac adaptations are preserved in the early postmenopausal phase. Furthermore, the hormonal changes associated with the menopausal transition do not appear to affect cardiac dimensions and function.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02135575.