Premium
Early menarche and chronic widespread musculoskeletal complaints‐ Results from the HUNT study
Author(s) -
Kvalheim S.,
Sandvik L.,
Winsvold B.,
Hagen K.,
Zwart J.A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european journal of pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1532-2149
pISSN - 1090-3801
DOI - 10.1002/ejp.747
Subject(s) - menarche , medicine , body mass index , demography , odds ratio , cross sectional study , population , environmental health , pathology , sociology
Background There is a predominance of chronic widespread musculoskeletal complaints ( WMSC ) among women. Previous studies suggest an association between hormonal factors and pain. However, it is not known whether earlier age at menarche is associated with higher prevalence of chronic WMSC . The aim of this study was to investigate the association between age at menarche and chronic WMSC. Methods Data from a cross‐sectional study of inhabitants ≥20 years in Nord‐Trøndelag County (Helseundersøkelsen i Nord‐Trøndelag ‐ HUNT ), conducted in 1995–1997 ( HUNT 2) were used. The study population comprised 32,673 women with valid information of age at menarche (exposure) and chronic WMSC (outcome data). Results In total, 8986 (27.5%) women reported WMSC . The overall prevalence of WMSC was 29.7% among those with menarche ≤12 years and 26.7% among those with menarche >12 years. The prevalence of chronic WMSC was consistently higher for those with early age at menarche in all age groups. The crude odds ratio for chronic WMSC , when comparing women with age at menarche ≤12 years to women with age at menarche >12 years, was 1.16 (95% CI : 1.10–1.22). The corresponding odds ratio was 1.26 (95% CI : 1.19–1.34) when adjusted for age, education, body mass index ( BMI ), smoking, alcohol consumption, depression, systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) and parity. Conclusion In this cross‐sectional study, there was an association between early age at menarche and chronic WMSC later in life, but the difference in absolute risk was low (3%).