Midlife women's cardiovascular symptoms: A cluster analysis.
Eun-Ok Im, Young Ko, Eunice Chee and 2 others
PMID 28532290WHAT IT FOUND
Midlife women grouped into three cardiovascular symptom patterns: high vasomotor, high cardio-respiratory and pain, high pain and indigestion.
Asian Americans reported fewer symptoms. These are self-reported patterns, not evidence that any treatment works.
Key findings
01Women formed three cardiovascular symptom clusters: 45% had high vasomotor and low cardio-respiratory symptoms, 39% had low vasomotor with high cardio-respiratory and discomfort/pain symptoms, and 16% had high discomfort/pain and indigestion symptoms.
02Cluster membership was associated with age, family income, ethnicity, self-reported health and menopausal status.
03Asian Americans tended to report significantly lower numbers of cardiovascular symptoms than other racial/ethnic groups in all clusters.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample came from two Internet survey studies recruited through online community announcements, so it may not represent midlife women without Internet access. Only 966 of the 1,054 original participants were analysed, because women with no cardiovascular symptoms and women with more than 10% missing fields were excluded. All symptom and background data were self-reported, with no objective validation of symptoms, diagnoses or menopausal status. The original studies were cross-sectional, so the clusters and odds ratios cannot show that one factor caused another or how symptoms changed over time. The cardiovascular symptom list was broad and included symptoms such as fatigue, headache, back pain and breast pain. The authors state that the clinical meaning of the symptom clusters is not clear, and they call for further research before these findings can guide practice.
Declared interests
The authors reported no competing interests. The article text does not state a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use these clusters to diagnose disease or guide treatment. The study was a cross-sectional self-report survey, and the authors state the clinical meaning of the symptom clusters is not clear.