Unit:
Faculty of MedicineLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Dissertation committee:
Ειρήνη Λαμπρινουδάκη: Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Αικατερίνη Λυκερίδου: Καθηγήτρια, Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας και Πρόνοιας, ΠΑΔΑ
Πέτρος Νικολαϊδης: Καθηγητής, Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας και Πρόνοιας, ΠΑΔΑ
Άννα Δελτσίδου: Καθηγήτρια, Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας και Πρόνοιας, ΠΑΔΑ
Γεώργιος Καπαρός: Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Κωνσταντίνος Πανουλής: Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μακάριος Ελευθεριάδης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Διερεύνηση των αλληλεπιδράσεων μεταξύ προσωπικότητας, γενετικών πολυμορφισμών και αγγειοκινητικών εμμηνοπαυσιακών συμπτωμάτων
Translated title:
Correlations between personality, genetic polymorphisms and menopausal vasomotor symptoms
Summary:
Purpose: To investigate the association of personality traits with the severity of vasomotor
symptoms (VMS) in a predominantly Greek population. Additionally, to investigate possible
associations between ESR1-Pvull and ESR1-Xbal polymorphisms with vasomotor and other
menopausal symptoms.
Methods: A questionnaire-based study of women from the Menopause Clinic of a University
Hospital in Athens, Greece. Sociodemographic parameters were documented through a
structured interview. All women completed the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) for the
assessment of severity of menopausal symptoms, the Hot Flush Belief (HFB) for the assessment
of how women were coping with their symptoms and the Big Five Inventory questionnaires for
the assessment of personality traits. Associations between baseline parameters with
menopausal symptoms were assessed with univariate and multivariate regression analyses.
Results: One hundred women were included. Employed women had lower MRS sub-scores
(psychological p<0.001, somatic p<0.047, urogenital p<0.008). Married women scored higher in
the psychological and somatic domains. Women of university educational level coped
significantly better with hot flushes (β coefficient (SE): 0.72 (0.25), p<0.01) and night sweats
(0.57, (0.19), p<0.01) than women of primary education, although significance of these findings
were not replicated when taking into account confounders. Regarding personality traits, women
with low openness (-0.33 (0.11), p<0.01) and empathy (-0.83 (0.37), p=0.03) and high
agreeableness (1.13 (0.21), p<0.001) had more severe menopausal symptoms. On the contrary,
women with high agreeableness could better cope with their menopausal symptoms (-0.75
(0.36), p=0.04). These associations were independent of sociodemographic factors. Genetic
polymorphisms analysis did not show any correlation between them and the vasomotor or other
menopausal symptoms.
Conclusion: Personality traits, especially agreeableness, openness and empathy are
associated with menopausal symptoms and functionality in postmenopausal women. These associations might serve as indicators of women at risk to experience more severe VMS.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Menopause, Vasomotor Symptoms, Personality, Polymorphisms
Number of references:
412
