Study, 2014
Does premenstrual syndrome contribute to high blood pressure?
Premenstrual syndrome was more common in women with high blood pressure than in those without it. Blood pressure was also harder to control with medication in women with both conditions, though this second finding was less certain.
What they did
Doctors at a high blood pressure clinic asked all female patients with high blood pressure about PMS symptoms and compared them to women without high blood pressure who visited the clinic during the same period.
What they found
Premenstrual syndrome was found more often in women with high blood pressure than in women with normal blood pressure. Blood pressure was harder to control with medication in women with both high blood pressure and PMS, but this pattern was not clearly proven.
What it means for you
If you have PMS and develop high blood pressure, your doctor should know about the PMS. It may be one of several factors that contributes to high blood pressure in some women. The study was done at one clinic, so results may not apply everywhere.
About the study
- Original title
- The Role of Premenstrual Syndrome in the Causation of Arterial Hypertension in Women
- Authors
- Basil Nwaneri Okeahialam
- Journal
- Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None - observation only
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.4236/ojog.2014.414113
Original abstract
Introduction: Gender perspectives are gradually generating great interest in health matters. Hypertension is one illness where gender considerations are important. Advancements in knowledge of pathophysiology help in better understanding of diseases and improvements in treatment. Pre-menstrual syndrome has been reported to make hypertension less responsive to treatment. This work was therefore done to see if premenstrual syndrome contributed in some way to hypertension in women. Methodology: All female hypertensives consulting the author in a private specialized hypertension clinic were questioned using the University of Carlifornia at San Diego criteria with a view to determining if they suffered from pre-menstrual syndrome. The control status was also considered for each patient. Females who consulted over the same period and were not hypertensive served as controls. Result: Pre-menstrual syndrome was found to occur more in hypertensive women than normotensive controls; to a statistically significant extent (p < 0.05). Control tended to be poorer in hypertensives with pre-menstrual syndrome than those without. The difference however did not achieve statistical significance. Discussion: There is controversy surrounding the aetiology of pre-menstrual syndrome. However, each of the models albeit inconsistent is capable of initiating and sustaining hypertension. The result here shows that in women it is likely to be one of the many factors that could produce hypertension in those predisposed. Conclusion: Pre-menstrual syndrome should arouse suspicion of future hypertension, and should be sought in all female hypertensives. Its presence should evoke deliberate action to improve outcome or remove the need for pharmacotherapy, at least for some time.
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