Hypertension in Climacteric: Prevalence and Intensity of Symptoms

Abstract

Introduction: Menopause is a phase in the female life cycle marked by the end of menstruation, which some women experience in a healthy way, while others experience symptoms that vary in their diversity and intensity. One pathology that is evident in climacteric is systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), mainly during the postmenopausal phase. SAH is characterized by high blood pressure levels, which can trigger diseases.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of SAH and the intensity of symptoms in menopausal women in a city of Northeastern Brazil.

Method: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Using a sample of 396 women between 40 and 60 years old, the study was performed at all family health units in the municipality of Cajazeiras-PB. The data were collected through structured interviews and were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics software package.

Results: The average age of the women interviewed was 50 (±5.801). They had, on average, 7 (±4.733) years of study and per capita incomes of 0.5 (±0.6958) times the minimum wage. A total of 69.9% (n = 277) had a fixed companion, and 51.8% (n = 205) were white. The prevalence of SAH was 35.1%. SAH was associated with age [OR: 2.164 (95% CI 1.417-3.306)], activity in the home [OR: 1.686 (95% CI 1.103-2.576)], overweight/obesity [OR: 2.748 (95% CI 1.738-4.343)], menopause/post-menopause [OR: 2.180 (95% CI 1.432-3.321)] and heightened symptomatology [OR: 3.143 (95% CI 1.608-6.146)]. The menopausal symptoms that were more prevalent in hypertensive subjects were arthralgia (84.9%), nervousness (84.2%) and fatigue (81.3%).

Conclusion: Women in climacteric deserve special attention from health professionals, especially if this phase is associated with any pathology, such as hypertension. It is important for health professionals to develop strategies for early diagnosis, prevention and health promotion for women in the climacteric phase.