Enzyme and lipid markers in relation to cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women
Abstract
Postmenopausal women are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death worldwide, compared with younger women. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) are linked with oxidative stress, inflammation, insulin resistance, and CVD risk factors. However, there have been no studies that examined the relationship between GGT/HDL-c and CVD exclusively in women who are not of reproductive age. Therefore, we aimed to examine this potential relationship in a cohort of CVD-free postmenopausal women. A total of 150 disease-free postmenopausal women were consecutively included. CVD risk was defined according to high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration (hsCRP < 1 mg/L defines low risk and hsCRP ≥ 1 mg/L defines intermediate and high risk). The GGT/HDL-c was independently associated with intermediate and high CVD risk in postmenopausal women. As this enzyme/lipid index increased by 1 unit, the probability of intermediate and high CVD risk rose by 10.3% (OR = 1.103, p = 0.024). The GGT/HDL-c ratio was independently associated with higher CVD risk, as measured with hsCRP in postmenopausal women. This cost-effective, easily measured, and widely available index could be used in everyday clinical practice for estimating CVD risk in postmenopausal women.
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