Background: Oxidative stress is a serious imbalance between the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced and the antioxidant systems, and has been identified to cause metabolic syndrome. Postmenopausal women (POS) with severe symptoms have higher oxidative stress; therefore it is possible to observe higher oxidative stress in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome and severe menopause related symptoms.
Objective: To determinate if the severe postmenopausal symptoms increased oxidative stress in women with metabolic syndrome.
Methods: We carry out a cross-sectional study with POS, 48 with metabolic syndrome and 52 healthy. Control group was defined as women heealthy and without severe symptoms (H-SS). Metabolic syndrome was defined according to criteria established by NCEP-ATPIII. We measured lipoperoxides by the TBARS assay as oxidative stress marker. All women answered the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) that evaluates the severity of global symptoms in three dimensions: psychological, somatic and urogenital; and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). In each questionnaire was used a cutoff value to determine the severity of symptoms and alternative cut-off value for lipoperoxides > or =0.320 mol/L.
Results: The prevalence of high plasma lipoperoxides levels was higher in women with metabolic syndrome (WMS), 39 [81%] vs. 33 [64%], p < 0.05. The WMS, independent of severe symptoms (SS), had high lipoperoxides levels, similar to H+SS, except in urogenital MRS dimen- sion and AIS. The risk of higher lipoperoxides increased with MS and severe symptoms RM=6.32, 95% CI: 1.32-30.20, p < 0.05, adjusted by others pro-oxidants factors.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the severity of menopausal related symptoms increased oxidative stress in women with metabolic syndrome.