Key clinical point: Menopause at an early vs usual age ( <45 vs ≥45 years) was associated with a higher disease activity and worse patient-reported outcomes in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Major finding: At baseline, women with early vs usual menopause had significantly higher Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28; P = .018) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for global assessment ( P = .016) and fatigue ( P = .005), along with worse EuroQol-5D-VAS scores ( P = .006). Early menopause was significantly associated with increased DAS28 (regression coefficient [ β] 0.178; P = .013) and decreased EuroQol-5D utility values ( β −0.033; P = .016) at 5-year follow-up.
Study details: This prospective observational cohort study included 2878 postmenopausal women with RA who had menopause at an early (n = 437) or usual (n = 2441) age.
Disclosures: This study was supported by Chung-Ang University research grants in 2022 and the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government. The authors did not declare conflicts of interest.
Source: Park EH et al. Impact of early age at menopause on disease outcomes in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis: A large observational cohort study of Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis. RMD Open . 2023;9:e002722 (Feb 15). Doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002722