Menopause is associated with the stiffness of the common carotid artery in 50-year-old women.

To determine if menopause has an effect on the elasticity of the arteries, the stiffness index of the common carotid artery was studied in 84 premenopausal and 139 post-menopausal women. The study group was age-homogeneous, all women being 50 years of age. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-menopausal women regarding atherosclerosis, when measured as the number of subjects with plaques or intimal-medial thickness. The diameter of the common carotid artery was significantly larger in post-menopausal women. The diameter was correlated to measurements of body size which did not, however, differ between the two groups. The mean stiffness indexes were 4.99 +/- 1.02 and 5.38 +/- 1.21 in the pre- and post-menopausal groups respectively (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, menopause (P < 0.05), and also serum insulin levels (P < 0.01) and smoking (P < 0.05) were found to have independent significant associations to the stiffness index. In conclusion, menopause is associated with reduced elasticity of the carotid arteries in 50-year-old women.