Menstrual Cycle and Respiratory Symptoms in a General Nordic-Baltic Population

• Rationale :Thereislittleknowledgeofvariationsinrespiratorysymp- tomsduringthemenstrualcycleinageneralpopulation,andpoten- tial modifying factors are not investigated. Objectives : To investigate menstrual cycle variation in respiratory symptomsinalargegeneralpopulation,usingchronobiologymeth- odology, and stratifying by body mass index (BMI), smoking, and asthma status. Methods : A total of 3,926 women with regular cycles less than or equal to 28 days and not taking exogenous sex hormones answered a postalquestionnaire regarding the first day of their last menstrua- tion and respiratory symptoms in the last 3 days. Moving 4-day meanswerecomputedto smoothunevenrecordsof dailysampling; best-fitting 28-day composite cosine curves were applied to each time series to describe rhythmicity. Measurements and Main Results : Significant rhythmic variations over themenstrualcyclewerefoundineachsymptomforallsubjectsand subgroups. Wheezing was higher on cycle Days 10–22, with a mid- cycle dip near the time of putative ovulation (approximately Days 14–16) in most subgroups. Shortness of breath was higher on days 7–21,withadipjustbeforemidcycleinmanysubgroups.Coughwas higher just after putative ovulation for subjects with asthma, BMI greater than or equal to 23 kg/m 2 , and smokers, or just before ovu- lation and menses onset for low symptomatic subgroups. Conclusions : Respiratory symptoms varied significantly during the menstrual cycle and were most frequent from the midluteal to mid- follicular stages, often with a dip near the time of ovulation. The patternsvariedbyBMI,smoking,andasthmastatus.Theserelations linkrespiratorysymptomswithhormonalchangesthroughthemen- strual cycle and imply a potential for individualized chronotherapy for respiratory diseases.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Lungmedicin och allergi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Respiratory Medicine and Allergy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

menstrual cycle

RHINE

respiratory symptoms

asthma

sex hormones

premenstrual asthma

lung-function

emergency-department

adult asthma

progesterone

phase

exacerbation

menarche

estrogen

hormones

menstrual cycle

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)