Menopause is related to asthma: A Nordic cross-sectional survey

Background There is inconsistent evidence of an association between menopause and poor respiratory health. We aimed to investigate whether asthma was related to menopausal status. Methods Postal questionnaires about respiratory and women´s health were sent in 2010-2012 to a population-based sample of women (n=4569, response rate=67%) from the Respiratory Health In Northern Europe study. Menopause was defined as cessation of menstruations for at least one year and current asthma as reported use of asthma medication or having had an asthma attack in the last year. We included women between 45 and 66 years, not taking exogenous hormones (n=2252). Menopausal women (n=1925) were compared to women with regular menstruation (n=392) using logistic regressions with adjustment for age, smoking, BMI tertiles, physical activity and education. Results Among menopausal women, prevalence of current asthma was 10.4% and mean BMI 25.8 kg/m 2 ; among women menstruating regularly, 5.9% and 24.9 kg/m 2 , respectively. Menopausal women had a 95% higher risk of asthma (OR= 1.95, 95% CI= 1.13-3.34). Associations were significant after exclusion of ever smokers (OR= 2.28, 1.07-4.45). The relationship between asthma and BMI appeared to differ according to menopausal status . Conclusion Menopause was related to higher risk of current asthma. Interplay between menopausal status and BMI in association with asthma was indicated.