Does menopausal transition enhance the atherogenic risk of smoking in middle aged women?
These results suggest that atherogenic effect of smoking may be enhanced during menopausal transition. The mechanism could be impaired reparative vascular processes, impaired reverse cholesterol transport and rapidly changing status of sex hormones.
The mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. The absence of difference in high-frequency variation questions any interpretation in terms of vagal function; the difference in low-frequency variation may implicate vessel wall characteristics or decreased sympathetic nervous system influence.