Asthma diagnosis and treatmentMenstrual irregularity and asthma and lung function
Section snippets
Study design
This study is a cross-sectional analysis of the ECRHS II. ECRHS I29 was an international survey performed from 1991 to 1992 in randomly selected individuals from the general populations within administrative boundaries of 36 centers in 16 countries. A random sample and a smaller symptomatic sample were invited to a follow-up study, ECRHS II,30 which took place from 1998 to 2002. The examinations performed at both surveys included an interviewer-led questionnaire and measurements of lung
Results
Of 1631 women age 28 to 44 years participating in the study, 313 (19 %) reported having irregular menstrual cycles and/or cycles longer than 32 days. The prevalence of IM varied between 28% in Basel and 7.1% in Bergen (Table I). The median BMI varied from 21.2 kg/m2 in Montpellier to 26 kg/m2 in Portland.
Women with IM were slightly younger and less educated than the controls, and had about the same median BMI (Table II). Women with IMs did not differ significantly from the controls regarding
Discussion
In this cross-sectional analysis of a multinational population, women reporting long or irregular menstrual cycles had significantly lower FVC and more asthma, particularly allergic asthma. These associations were not modified by BMI or physical activity. On the other hand, FVC was lower in women with oligomenorrhea at any level of BMI, and asthma was more common in women with oligomenorrhea at any level of BMI or physical activity. The associations were consistent across centers, and remained
References (54)
- et al.
Smoking cessation, lung function, and weight gain: a follow-up study
Lancet
(2005) - et al.
Polycystic ovaries: a common finding in normal women
Lancet
(1988) - et al.
Insulin resistance in adolescents with menstrual irregularities
J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol
(2005) - et al.
Irregular menses: an independent risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus
Am J Obstet Gynecol
(2003) - et al.
Meta-analysis in clinical trials
Control Clin Trials
(1986) - et al.
Menstrual irregularity in female military cadets: comparison of data utilizing short-term and long-term recall
J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol
(2003) Polycystic ovary syndrome: current and future treatment paradigms
Am J Obstet Gynecol
(1998)- et al.
Inflammation: the link between insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes
Trends Immunol
(2004) - et al.
Tracing the origins of “fetal origins” of adult diseases: programming by oxidative stress?
Med Hypotheses
(2006) - et al.
Comparative study of progesterone, estradiol and cortisol concentrations in asthmatic and non-asthmatic women
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr)
(1988)
Hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal asthmatic women
J Clin Pharm Ther
Self-reported use of pharmaceuticals and primary ovulatory infertility
Epidemiology
Effect of obesity on asthma among adult Indian women
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord
Birth weight, body mass index and asthma in young adults
Thorax
Body build from birth to adulthood and risk of asthma
Eur J Public Health
Relationship between asthma severity and obesity
J Asthma
Physical activity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness: European Community Respiratory Health Survey II
Thorax
Diabetes mellitus, plasma glucose and lung function in a cross-sectional population study
Eur Respir J
Lung function, insulin resistance and incidence of cardiovascular disease: a longitudinal cohort study
J Intern Med
Associations of measures of lung function with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study
Diabetologia
Impaired ventilatory function and elevated insulin levels in nondiabetic males: the Normative Aging Study
Eur Respir J
Glycemic exposure is associated with reduced pulmonary function in type 2 diabetes: the Fremantle Diabetes Study
Diabetes Care
Clinical gynecologic endocrinology and infertility
Epidemiology of infertility and polycystic ovarian disease: endocrinological and demographic studies
Gynecol Endocrinol
Hormonal profile of women with self-reported symptoms of oligomenorrhea and/or hirsutism: Northern Finland birth cohort 1966 study
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
Polycystic ovary syndrome
N Engl J Med
Low grade chronic inflammation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
Cited by (0)
F.G.R. was supported exclusively by the Norwegian Research Council (grant NFR 161299/V50). ECRHS II was supported by the European Commission as part of their Quality of Life program. Bodies funding the local studies in ECRHS II are listed in this article's Online Repository at www.jacionline.org.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: The authors have declared that they have no conflict of interest.