Vasomotor Symptoms During Menopause May Up Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during the menopause transition (MT) are associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a research letter published online Oct. 31 in JAMA Network Open.

Monique M. Hedderson, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton, California, and colleagues examined the associations of frequency and trajectories of VMS with incident T2D over the MT in the Study of Women”s Health Across the Nation. A total of 2,761 premenopausal or early perimenopausal women were assessed at up to 13 approximately annual follow-up visits.

At baseline, 28, 10, and 62 percent of women reported VMS on one to five days per two-week period, VMS on six or more days per week, and no VMS, respectively. Overall, 12.2 percent developed diabetes during follow-up. The researchers observed an association for more frequent time-varying VMS with an increased risk for incident diabetes (hazard ratios, 1.45 and 1.30 for frequent and infrequent VMS, respectively, versus no VMS), after adjustment for covariates. There were four trajectories of VMS: consistently low probability of VMS (26 percent), persistently high probability of VMS (31 percent), early onset-initial high probability that decreased over time (25 percent), and late onset-initial low probability that increased over time (19 percent); 0.2 percent of patients had unknown trajectory. Compared with women with consistently low VMS, those with persistently high VMS had an increased risk for diabetes (hazard ratio, 1.50).

“Women with frequent and/or persistent VMS over the MT may represent a high-risk group to target for diabetes prevention,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text