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. 2009;5(2):483-8.
doi: 10.2147/vhrm.s5798. Epub 2009 Jun 7.

Hematocrit and mean arterial blood pressure in pre- and postmenopause women

Beatriz Y Salazar Vázquez  1 , Miguel A Salazar Vázquez, Marcos Intaglietta, Ulf de Faire, Bengt Fagrell, Pedro Cabrales
Affiliations

Hematocrit and mean arterial blood pressure in pre- and postmenopause women

Beatriz Y Salazar Vázquez et al. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2009.

Abstract

The relationship between mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and hematocrit (Hct) was studied in pre- and postmenopause women in the city of Durango, Mexico. Premenopause women show a negative trend between parameters that is not statistically significant. MAP and Hct are directly related in postmenopause women (p < 0.01). It is proposed that that this MAP/Hct relationship is in part due to differences in endothelial function where menopause decreases the capacity of the endothelium to respond to increased blood viscosity and shears stress, leading to the increased production of vasodilator mediators to compensate for changes in blood viscosity due to changes in Hct. Comparison with a large group of postmenopause women in the city of Stockholm showed identical trends.

Keywords: blood pressure; blood viscosity; endothelial dysfunction; hematocrit; menopause.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of hematocrit (Hct) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in pre- and postmenopausal women in the city of Durango, Mexico. Both distributions are Gaussian.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linear regression between MAP and Hct in pre- and postmenopause women in the city of Durango, Mexico. comparison with the relation between MAP and Hct if blood viscosity is the only determinant of peripheral vascular resistance. Abbreviations: Hct, hematocrit; MAP, mean arterial blood pressure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of the trends for MAP vs Hct for women aged > 60 years in a study in the city of Stockholm (n = 2,189) and postmenopause women in the city of Durango (n = 92). Abbreviations: Hct, hematocrit; MAP, mean arterial blood pressure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean arterial pressure as a function of hematocrit (Hct), and therefore blood viscosity, when the effect of hematocrit is factored out (normalized MAP according to equation ) Both trends are statistically significant (p< 0.05 for <45 years and >45 years) as well as the difference in trends (p < 0.02). Abbreviation: MAP, mean arterial blood pressure.
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