[Dyslipidemia in women after 50: age, menopause or both?].

A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is reported in postmenopausal women. The objective of this review was to determine whether the effect of the menopause on lipid profile remained after adjusting for age in middle age women. The results of 10 cross sectional studies and nine longitudinal studies added evidence of a worsening effect of the menopause on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride plasmatic levels. This effect remained after adjustment for age. Menopausal estrogenic deficiency could be an explanation for those results, even if the hormonal replacement therapy effect on the lipid profile remains unclear.