Study identifies variables associated with heart palpitations in menopause
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Certain factors were associated with heart palpitations in menopause, according to findings of a scoping literature review in Women’s Health.
“We wanted to understand what research had been done and what research is still needed to help women with menopause palpitations,” Janet S. Carpenter, PhD, RN, FAAN, a distinguished professor and the Audrey Geisel Endowed Chair in Innovation at the Indiana University School of Nursing, told Healio.
Carpenter and colleagues reviewed multiple databases for full-length, peer-reviewed, cross-sectional studies published by Dec. 18, 2021, that reported on palpitations in menopausal women.
The researchers extracted data on variables from each of the 84 eligible studies to determine whether the variables — such as race and ethnicity, biomarkers and clinical characteristics — were correlates of palpitations during menopause. They categorized each variable by its likelihood of being a correlate, which were defined as:
- “likely” if they had significant associations with palpitations in at least 60% of three or more studies;
- “unlikely” if they were not significantly associated with palpitations in at least 60% of three or more studies; and
- “unclear” if they had either less than 60% evidence in three or more studies or were included in less than three studies.
Race and ethnicity were likely correlates of palpitations, such that the likelihood of palpitations was greater in Hispanic vs. white women (P < .05); in Black Colombian vs. non-Black Colombian women (P = .003); Black vs. Hispanic Ecuadorian women (P < .001); Quechua vs. Zenu women (P < .0001); Lebanese vs. Spanish, Moroccan or American women (P < .01); and Turkish vs. German women (P < .001).
Other likely correlates of palpitations in menopause were lower physical activity, vasomotor symptoms and sleep problems and poorer quality of life.
“We also learned about some things that are not likely to make a difference in whether women report palpitations, such as their age and other sociodemographics, comorbidities, height and weight, or whether they also experience sexual difficulties at menopause — the evidence for all of these things was quite variable,” Carpenter said.
The researchers identified menopause status; smoking; biomarkers; symptoms such as anxiety and stress; depression; and clinical variables such as hyperthyroidism, metabolism and hormone therapy as unclear correlates.
The findings highlight a need for more research on and clinical recognition of palpitations as a symptom of menopause, Carpenter said.
“For example, we know women with breast cancer have a more severe menopause experience, but there were only two studies that included women with breast cancer,” she said. “Neither of those studies compared palpitations between women with and without breast cancer.”
Moving forward, Carpenter suggested research specifically examine how palpitations change during the menopausal transition and whether genetic factors are at play in palpitations.