Menopause as an Indicator for Determining Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cross Sectional Study among Gaddi Tribe of Himachal Pradesh, India

Introduction: Menopause may affect certain physiological events of the female and further lead to many complex disorders. The present study attempts to understand the association between menopause and cardio vascular adversities among the Gaddi tribe.
Methodology: This is a cross sectional household study on 363 ever married females of Gaddi tribe aged 25-70 years. The current study deals with the effect of menopause on cardiovascular risk factors among the altitude based tribal population.
Results: The mean age at menopause is found to be 42.98 years. A higher percentage of women fall under premenopausal category (55.37%) followed by natural menopause (36.36%) and hysterectomy (8.2%). Almost all the lipid parameters showed significantly increased levels in postmenopausal women. Women with natural menopause were observed to have a 1-fold risk of succumbing to central obesity (WC and WHR) and hypertension. Women with hysterectomy were at a 1 fold significant risk for hyperglycemia. Post-menopausal women (both with natural menopause and hysterectomy) were at 1 fold significant risk for succumbing to metabolic syndrome.
Conclusion: It can be assumed though not confirmed, that higher altitude Gaddi women are prone to an early age risk for cardio vascular adversities owing to their menopausal age which is indicative of development of certain screening strategies for the post-menopausal women for their early protection.