Biomedical subjects

G L Leusink

Publications and source records attributed to G L Leusink.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Climacteric complaints in the community.

BACKGROUND: At the onset of the climacteric, healthy middle-aged women present with a variety of complaints, especially in general practice. In these first years of entering the menopause, vaginal blood loss alters from irregular periods to complete amenorrhoea. According to these different menstrual patterns, we can distinguish a pre-, peri- and postmenopausal phase. It could be useful to know whether specific climacteric complaints are related to these different phases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between climacteric complaints and the menstrual pattern during the menopausal transition in a population-based cross-sectional survey of healthy middle-aged women. METHODS: All women aged 47-54 years, living in the city of Eindhoven, were invited to participate in the Eindhoven Osteoporosis Study (EPOS); 6648 (78%) agreed to participate. All women completed a questionnaire concerning climacteric complaints. Climacteric status was defined by menstrual history. Odds ratios (ORs) were obtained for the relationship between climacteric status and climacteric complaints. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out, with climacteric status as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Of the 27 items in the questionnaire concerning climacteric complaints, seven were significantly different between all three climacteric phases (P: < 0.1). After multiple logistic regression analysis, comparing peri- and premenopause, only flushing (OR 5.9) was significantly different. Between post- and perimenopause, seven symptoms appeared to be different: three urogenital complaints [vaginal dryness (OR 1.6), vaginal discharge (OR 0.4) and pain during intercourse (OR 1.9)], three vasomotor symptoms [daytime sweating (OR 1.4), night-time sweating (OR 0.7) and flushing (OR 1.9)] and, finally, insomnia (OR 1.3). When comparing post- and premenopause, flushing (OR 13.4), insomnia (OR 2.1) and depressed mood (OR 0.6) were significantly different, in addition to three urogenital symptoms: vaginal dryness (OR 2.6), vaginal discharge (OR 0.3) and pain during intercourse (OR 2.1). CONCLUSION: The major findings of the study are that flushing is strongly associated with the transition from pre- to perimenopause, while urogenital complaints, daytime sweating and insomnia are more prominent in the transition from peri- to postmenopause.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Hormonal substitution during menopause: what are we treating?

OBJECTIVES: It is suggested that during menopausal transition, women with vasomotor symptoms benefit from HRT, (hormone replacement therapy) whereas, the use of HRT for other cognitive-vegetative symptoms is questionable. METHODS: The occurrence of menopausal complaints and depressive symptoms was assessed cross-sectionally in 5896 Dutch Caucasian women (47-54 years) of a large community sample in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Menopausal complaints were assessed using a 22 items self-rating scale (consisting of a vasomotor, uro-genital and a cognitive-vegetative subscale). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh depression scale (EDS). Differences in mean scores were analysed between groups using ANOVA. The independent relationship of depressive symptoms to the intensity of menopausal complaints was assessed, by multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Women using HRT showed the highest scores on all subscales. Oral contraceptive users had significantly lower scores on the vasomotor subscale compared to HRT users and to non users. Depressive symptoms contributed the most, to the explained variance on scores on the menopausal subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Women during menopause presenting several complaints, other than vasomotor origin might be suffering from underlying depression which makes it questionable to prescribe HRT for the latter symptoms.

Affect↗

PubMed2000

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in relation to the menopausal status of women.

BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been reported as an excellent marker for male alcohol abuse. Little is known about its validity among women, in whom rather conflicting data concerning the efficiency of the CDT marker and its biochemical mechanism have been reported. Moreover, it is not clear why the reference ranges are different for women (0 to 26 Units per liter) and men (0 to 20 Units per liter). METHODS: In this population-based study, we examined the normal CDT values measured by CDTect in 331 healthy female teetotalers, randomly selected from a large cohort. They were divided into four groups: premenopausal women (n = 76), perimenopausal women (n = 86), postmenopausal women (n = 84), and users of estrogens/progestagens (n = 85). RESULTS: The mean of the CDT value in the premenopausal group (15.2 Units per liter) was significantly higher than the mean in the postmenopausal group (13.6 Units per liter; p < 0.016). In pre- and perimenopausal women, higher CDT levels were associated with the last period of menstruation; for women menstruating less than 1 month ago versus longer ago, the mean serum CDT value was 15.4 vs. 13.0 Units per liter (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The premenopausal state seems to increase serum levels of CDT, probably due to the amount and frequency of blood loss during the menstrual period, and should be considered when interpreting CDT values in women.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2000

Test characteristics of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyltransferase in alcohol-using perimenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: The application of biochemical markers to detect heavy alcohol use in women has shown disappointing results until now. We evaluated carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) by the CDTect method and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) in a large cohort of alcohol-using perimenopausal women studied primarily for osteoporosis. METHODS: CDT and GGT were measured in 431 women aged 46 to 54 years, who were selected from a large cohort (n = 8503) of pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women. Their alcohol intake was known from questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Three groups were constructed for statistical analysis: those drinking on average less than 7 alcoholic drinks per week (n = 103), those drinking 7 to 34 per week (n = 280), and those drinking at least 35 per week (n = 48). RESULTS: The mean values of CDT and GGT of the three groups increased with an increasing alcohol intake, but there was a poor correlation between CDT and GGT in the complete study group (r = 0.3). The specificities of CDT and GGT were comparable, 83% and 78%, respectively. The sensitivities for CDT and GGT were 30% and 50%, respectively. A logistic regression model could assign, overall, 77% of the women correctly in relation to their alcohol intake: 43% of the women drinking at least 35 drinks per week and 92% of the women drinking less than 7 drinks per week. CONCLUSIONS: The test characteristics of both GGT and CDT are not good enough to be used as biochemical markers for detecting heavy alcohol use in women. The use of a logistic regression model offers an advantage, because both numeric values of CDT and GGT are taken into account instead of arbitrary cutoff values.

Alcohol Drinking↗