Tailoring cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention for women: One size does not fit all

Cardiovascular risk in menopausal women and our evolving understanding of menopausal hormone therapy: risks, benefits, and current guidelines for use

Women are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with men. While traditional risk factors for CVD seem to disproportionately affect women and contribute to this disparity, increased prevalence of CVD at midlife calls into question the contribution of menopause. Given the potential role that declining hormone levels play in this transition, menopause hormone therapies (MHT) have been proposed as a strategy for risk factor reduction. Unfortunately, trials have not consistently shown cardiovascular benefit with use, and several describe significant risks. Notably, the timing of hormone administration seems to play a role in its relative risks and benefits. At present, MHT is not recommended for primary or secondary prevention of CVD. For women who may benefit from the associated vasomotor, genitourinary, and/or bone health properties of MHT, CVD risks should be taken into account prior to administration. Further research is needed to assess routes, dosing, and formulations of MHT in order to elucidate appropriate timing for administration. Here, we aim to review both traditional and sex-specific risk factors contributing to increased CVD risk in women with a focus on menopause, understand cardiovascular effects of MHT through a review of several landmark clinical trials, summarize guidelines for appropriate MHT use, and discuss a comprehensive strategy for reducing CV risk in women.

A review of maternal overweight and obesity and its impact on cardiometabolic outcomes during pregnancy and postpartum

The rates of maternal overweight and obesity, but also excess gestational weight gain, are increasing. Pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and delivery of a preterm or growth restricted baby, are higher for both women with overweight and obesity and women who gain excess weight during their pregnancy. Other conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome are also strongly linked to overweight and obesity and worsened pregnancy complications. All of these conditions place women at increased risk for future cardiometabolic diseases. If overweight and obesity, but also excess gestational weight gain, can be reduced in women of reproductive age, then multiple comorbidities associated with pregnancy complications may also be reduced in the years after childbirth. This narrative review highlights the association between maternal overweight and obesity and gestational weight gain, with gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, polycystic ovary syndrome and delivery of a preterm or growth restricted baby. This review also addresses how these adverse conditions are linked to cardiometabolic diseases after birth. We report that while the independent associations between obesity and gestational weight gain are evident across many of the adverse conditions assessed, whether body mass index or gestational weight gain is a stronger driving factor for many of these is currently unclear. Mechanisms linking gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and polycystic ovary syndrome to heightened risk for cardiometabolic diseases are multifactorial but relate to cardiovascular and inflammatory pathways that are also found in overweight and obesity. The need for post-partum cardiovascular risk assessment and follow-up care remains overlooked. Such early detection and intervention for women with pregnancy-related complications will significantly attenuate risk for cardiovascular disease.

Associations Between Vascular Risk Across Adulthood and Brain Pathology in Late Life: Evidence From a British Birth Cohort

Question

When is vascular risk during adulthood (early adulthood, midlife, or late life) most strongly associated with late-life brain structure and pathology?

Findings

In a propective cohort of 463 participants free of dementia from the population-based Insight 46 study, higher vascular risk in early adulthood was most strongly associated with smaller whole-brain volumes and greater white matter–hyperintensity volumes at age 69 to 71 years. There were no associations at any age with amyloid status.

Meaning

These findings are consistent with vascular risk influencing late-life brain health via cerebral small-vessel disease and lower brain volumes but not amyloidosis; vascular risk screening and modification may need to be considered from early adulthood.

Importance

Midlife vascular risk burden is associated with late-life dementia. Less is known about if and how risk exposure in early adulthood influences late-life brain health.

Objective

To determine the associations between vascular risk in early adulthood, midlife, and late life with late-life brain structure and pathology using measures of white matter–hyperintensity volume, β-amyloid load, and whole-brain and hippocampal volumes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective longitudinal cohort study, Insight 46, is part of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, which commenced in 1946. Participants had vascular risk factors evaluated at ages 36 years (early adulthood), 53 years (midlife), and 69 years (early late life). Participants were assessed with multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and florbetapir-amyloid positron emission tomography scans between May 2015 and January 2018 at University College London. Participants with at least 1 available imaging measure, vascular risk measurements at 1 or more points, and no dementia were included in analyses.

Exposures

Office-based Framingham Heart study–cardiovascular risk scores (FHS-CVS) were derived at ages 36, 53, and 69 years using systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication usage, smoking, diabetic status, and body mass index. Analysis models adjusted for age at imaging, sex, APOE genotype, socioeconomic position, and, where appropriate, total intracranial volume.

Main Outcomes and Measures

White matter–hyperintensity volume was generated from T1/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery scans using an automated technique and whole-brain volume and hippocampal volume were generated from automated in-house pipelines; β-amyloid status was determined using a gray matter/eroded subcortical white matter standardized uptake value ratio threshold of 0.61.

Results

A total of 502 participants were assessed as part of Insight 46, and 463 participants (236 male [51.0%]) with at least 1 available imaging measure (mean [SD] age at imaging, 70.7 [0.7] years; 83 β-amyloid positive [18.2%]) who fulfilled eligibility criteria were included. Among them, FHS-CVS increased with age (36 years: median [interquartile range], 2.7% [1.5%-3.6%]; 53 years: 10.9% [6.7%-15.6%]; 69 years: 24.3% [14.9%-34.9%]). At all points, these scores were associated with smaller whole-brain volumes (36 years: β coefficient per 1% increase, −3.6 [95% CI, −7.0 to −0.3]; 53 years: −0.8 [95% CI, −1.5 to −0.08]; 69 years: −0.6 [95% CI, −1.1 to −0.2]) and higher white matter–hyperintensity volume (exponentiated coefficient: 36 years, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.01-1.18]; 53 years, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.00-1.04]; 69 years, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.02]), with largest effect sizes at age 36 years. At no point were FHS-CVS results associated with β-amyloid status.

Conclusions and Relevance

Higher vascular risk is associated with smaller whole-brain volume and greater white matter–hyperintensity volume at age 69 to 71 years, with the strongest association seen with early adulthood vascular risk. There was no evidence that higher vascular risk influences amyloid deposition, at least up to age 71 years. Reducing vascular risk with appropriate interventions should be considered from early adulthood to maximize late-life brain health.