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BackgroundIt has been long debated whether menopause itself is a risk factor for hypertension in peri-menopausal women. We aimed to assess the association between menopause and hypertension, and whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) has an influence on its effect.MethodsData for 1502 women aged 42 to 53 from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) database were retrospectively analyzed. The KoGES database consists of 10,038 participants, of which 52.6% (5275) were female. Subjects were followed up for 4 years, and compared according to menopausal status. Additionally, 1216 non-hypertensive subjects were separately analyzed to assess whether a change in menopausal status was associated with development of hypertension.ResultsThe prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and MetS for menopausal and non-menopausal subjects at baseline was 24.4% vs. 16.7%, 5.8% vs. 2.9%, and 25.4% vs. 16.6%, respectively (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Among non-hypertensive subjects at baseline, prevalence of hypertension at 4-year follow-up was 9.4%, 19.7%, and 13.1% for non-menopausal, those who became menopause during follow-up, and those who were menopause at baseline, respectively. Development of hypertension was positively correlated with MetS (HR 3.90, 95% CI 2.51–6.07) and increased BMI (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.16), while association with menopause was not significant.ConclusionsMenopause is closely associated with increased incidence of hypertension, but the increase may not be attributable to menopause itself but to increased prevalence of MetS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40885-018-0099-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The degree of cartilage degeneration assessed intraoperatively may not be sufficient as a criterion for patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, single-photon emission tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) is useful for detecting osteoarthritic involvement deeper in the subchondral bone. The purpose of the study was to determine whether SPECT/CT reflected the cartilage lesion underneath the patella in patients with end-stage osteoarthritis (OA) and whether clinical outcomes after TKA without patellar resurfacing differed according to the severity of patellofemoral (PF) OA determined by visual assessment and SPECT/CT findings. This study included 206 knees which underwent TKA. The degree of cartilage degeneration was graded intraoperatively according to the International Cartilage Repair Society grading system. Subjects were classified into low and high uptake groups according to the degree of bone tracer uptake (BTU) on SPECT/CT in the PF joint. The Feller's patella score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were assessed preoperatively and postoperative 1 and 2 years. The increased BTU in the PF joint was associated with more severe degenerative cartilage changes underneath the patella (p < 0.001). The risk for the presence of denudated cartilage was greater in the high uptake group (odds ratio = 5.89). There was no association between clinical outcomes and visual grading of patellar cartilage degeneration or the degree of BTU on SPECT/CT. The visual assessment of the degree of cartilage degeneration underneath the patella and preoperative SPECT/CT evaluation of the PF joint were not predictive of clinical outcome after TKA with unresurfaced patella.

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