TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants by hot flush status
| Risk factor | No significant hot flushes (n = 2,325) | Clinically significant hot flushesa (n = 434) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 67.3 (6.3) | 63.0 (7.3) | 0.001 |
| White, n (%) | 2,110 (90.8%) | 338 (77.9%) | 0.001 |
| Education, mean (SD), y | 12.8 (2.7) | 12.1 (2.5) | 0.001 |
| Years since last menses, mean (SD) | 18.7 (7.8) | 13.7 (8.0) | 0.001 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 291 (12.5%) | 68 (15.7%) | 0.07 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 528 (22.8%) | 106 (24.5%) | 0.42 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 135.0 (19.0) | 135.6 (19.3) | 0.56 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 72.7 (9.7) | 75.7 (9.6) | 0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol, mean (SD), mg/dL | 144.1 (37.4) | 149.9 (39.5) | 0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol, mean (SD), mg/dL | 50.4 (13.3) | 49.7 (12.8) | 0.29 |
| Triglyceride, mean (SD), mg/dL | 165.0 (63.5) | 172.1 (63.6) | 0.03 |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 28.4 (5.5) | 29.6 (5.6) | 0.001 |
| Aerobic exercise >3 times/wk, n (%) | 916 (39.4%) | 150 (34.6%) | 0.06 |
| Alcoholic drinks/wk, mean (SD) | 1.4 (3.8) | 1.2 (2.9) | 0.17 |
| Fair or poor overall health, n (%) | 520 (22.4%) | 145 (33.4%) | 0.001 |
| Prior postmenopausal estrogen use, n (%) | 510 (22.3%) | 135 (31.5%) | 0.001 |
| History of congestive heart failure, n (%) | 291 (12.5%) | 54 (12.4%) | 0.97 |
| Prior percutaneous coronary angioplasty, n (%) | 999 (43.0%) | 187 (43.1%) | 0.96 |
| Prior coronary artery bypass surgery, n (%) | 959 (41.3%) | 172 (39.6%) | 0.53 |
| Prior myocardial infarction, n (%) | 1,161 (49.9%) | 244 (56.21%) | 0.02 |
LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein.
a
Defined as hot flushes that were bothersome all, most, a good bit, or some of the time.