Association between Endogenous Sex Hormones and Coronary Artery Disease in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Background Incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) increases significantly in postmenopausal women, which is assumed to be an imbalance between serum androgen and estrogen levels. However, studies assessing serum sex hormones and CAD are few and have shown conflicting results. Objective To compare serum sex hormone levels and traditional risk factors among postmenopausal women with angiographically proven CAD and without CAD. Method The study included consecutive postmenopausal women undergoing coronary angiography in our institute from May 2016 to June 2017. The clinical and coronary angiographic data and traditional risk factors were assessed. Fasting serum levels of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and insulin were measured. Results A total of 121 postmenopausal women were included in the study; 69 were CAD and 52 without CAD. Single-vessel disease was most common (55.1%), followed by double-vessel disease (24.6%) and triple-vessel disease (20.3%). Women with CAD had significantly lower estradiol/testosterone (E2/T) ratio (3.7 ± 2.6 vs. 5.4 ± 4.2, p = 0.008) compared with non-CAD group. SHBG, DHEA-S, and insulin levels were similar in CAD and non-CAD groups. The serum level of estradiol predicted the E2/T ratio (r = 0.316, p < 0.001) and positively associated with DHEA (r = 0.181, p = 0.047). Testosterone was negatively associated with E2/T ratio (r = – 0.682, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation of estrogen, testosterone, or E2/T ratio to lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL) in women with CAD. Conclusion E2/T ratio was significantly lowered in postmenopausal women with CAD. E2/T ratio may be a used a predictor of CAD in postmenopausal women