Prevention & lipidsCohort study
Reassessing the association between age at menarche and cardiovascular disease: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses
- Prospective cohort study with Mendelian randomisation analyses
- observational and Mendelian randomization analyses
- non-linear Mendelian randomization (MR) (fractional polynomials)
- linear MR (inverse-variance weighted)
Authors' conclusion
This study supported non-linear observational associations between AAM and MI and ischaemic stroke. MR analyses suggested a causal relationship between higher AAM and risk of MI without an indication for non-linearity. There was no support for a potential causal link with ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
Study context
- Population
- Women without pre-existing myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke at baseline, EPIC-CVD and UK BiobankEPIC-CVD and UK Biobank
- Participants
- 283,210 women
- Exposure
- Age at menarche
- Outcome
- Incident MI, ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke later in life
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Genetically proxied AAM (per year higher) and CVD (MR)
Hazard ratio
0.92
95% CI 0.86–0.99
Each year higher genetically proxied AAM
HR 0.92 (95% CI 0.86–0.99)
Each year higher genetically proxied AAM, as printed
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Observational association of age at menarche (AAM) with MI and ischaemic stroke
- U-shaped: higher risks at AAM ≤12 and ≥16 vs 13 years
Events
- MI
- 8468
- Ischaemic stroke
- 5501
- Haemorrhagic stroke
- 1887
- Median AAM, years (IQR 12-14)
- 13
Original publication
Reassessing the association between age at menarche and cardiovascular disease: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 18 March 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf051
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it