Association of sex hormones with incident 10-year cardiovascular disease and mortality in women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

The aims of this study were to ascertain whether women with high levels of serum total testosterone (TT) or low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to investigate potential associations between sex hormones and mortality (all-cause, as well as cause-specific) in the general population.

STUDY DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Data on 2129 women with a mean age of 49.0 years were obtained from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania over a median follow-up of 10.9 years. Associations of baseline levels of TT, SHBG, and rostenedione (ASD), and free testosterone (fT), and of the free androgen index (FAI), with follow-up CVD morbidity, as well as all-cause and CVD mortality, were analyzed using multivariable regression modeling.

RESULTS:

At baseline the prevalence rate of CVD was 17.8% (378 women) and the incidence of CVD over the follow-up was 50.9 per 1000 person-years. We detected an inverse association between SHBG and baseline CVD in age-adjusted models (relative risk per standard deviation increase: 0.83; 95% confidence interval: 0.74-0.93). We did not detect any significant associations between sex hormone concentrations and incident CVD in age- and multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression models. Furthermore, none of the sex hormones (TT, SHBG, ASD, fT, FAI) were associated with all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS:

This population-based cohort study did not yield any consistent associations between sex hormones in women and incident CVD or mortality risk.

• Authors: Gotja Schaffrath, Hanna Kische, Stefan Gross, Henri Wallaschofski, Henry Völzke, Marcus Dörr, Matthias Nauck, Brian G Keevil, Georg Brabant, Robin Haring
• Journal: Maturitas (Maturitas) Vol. 82 Issue 4 Pg. 424-30 (Dec 2015) ISSN: 1873-4111 [Electronic] Ireland
• PMID: 26385535 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin
• Testosterone
• Androstenedione

Topics

• Adult
• Androstenedione (blood)
• Cardiovascular Diseases (epidemiology, mortality)
• Cause of Death
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Germany (epidemiology)
• Humans
• Incidence
• Middle Aged
• Prevalence
• Risk Factors
• Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (metabolism)
• Testosterone (blood)