PMS Associated with Increased Heart Disease Risk, Reveals Major Study
A comprehensive analysis of 3 million Swedish women uncovers a link between premenstrual disorders and cardiovascular disease.
Women diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) face an 11% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This is according to a groundbreaking study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research.
The study, spearheaded by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, tracked over 99,000 women with premenstrual symptoms for up to 22 years. Alarmingly, women diagnosed before age 25 showed an even higher risk of 24% for heart disease development.
“This is a significant stride towards the early identification of women at risk for heart disease earlier in life,” stated Dr. Nieka Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health. The most potent associations were found with arrhythmias (31% higher risk) and stroke caused by blood clots (27% higher risk).
The researchers propose three potential explanations: hormonal fluctuations affecting blood vessels, increased inflammation levels, and metabolic abnormalities. These findings could potentially transform how doctors assess cardiovascular risk in younger women.
“We hope that our findings will contribute to greater awareness that premenstrual disorders not only affect daily life but can also have consequences for long-term health,” expressed study author Donghao Lu.