Hot Flash as a Marker of Cardiovascular Risk in Recent Postmenopause: Effects of Non-hormonal Treatments

Endothelial, Autonomic and Pressure Effects of Paroxetine in Recent Postmenopause Women With Hot Flashes: a Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial

Hot flashes, vasomotor symptoms that affect many postmenopausal women, are associated with cardiovascular disease and endothelial dysfunction. Estrogen therapy, associated or not with progestogens, is the standard treatment for vasomotor symptoms and improves the endothelial function of postmenopausal women with hot flushes, even those with cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension. It is not known whether hot flushes are a cause for the development of endothelial dysfunction or are markers of this dysfunction, evidenced by estrogen deficiency, thus representing primitive target organ (vessel) lesion. Paroxetine was approved by the FDA as a non hormonal treatment for menopausal hot flashes. In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, the vascular effects of paroxetine at a dose of 7.5 mg / day, compared to placebo, during 12 weeks are evaluated.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Endothelial Dysfunction; Cardiovascular Risk Factor; Postmenopausal Flushing
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Paroxetine; Drug: Placebo oral capsule

Detailed Description

Paroxetine and placebo effects at baseline and after 12 weeks in endothelial, autonomic and pressure components of vascular function are evaluated.

Non invasive venous occlusion plethysmography is used to study endothelial function; ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is used to study blood pressure variations during daytime and nocturnal descent; autonomic function is studied following sympathetic and parasympathetic parameters through heart rate variability.

The effects of paroxetine and placebo are also evaluated on:

• daytime sleepiness (through Epworth Sleepiness Scale ),
• sleep quality (through Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index),
• perceived stress (through Perceived Scale Stress).

Biochemical and hormonal profiles including complete lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin, estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH); inflammatory and oxidative stress markers are also studied.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 140
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20550-900
    • Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 45 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Postmenopause
2. Present hot flushes (note ≥ 3 on a scale of 0 to 10)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. > 10 years of hypoestrogenism
2. Smoking
3. Diabetes mellitus or altered fasting glycemia in use of oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin
4. BMI ≥ 35 Kg / m2
5. Uncontrolled hypertension - blood pressure (BP) ≥ 140/90 mmHg
6. Users of glucocorticoids, phytoestrogens, β-blockers, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), clonidine, gabapentin, pregabalin, cinnarizine, alphamethyldopa or any drugs with effects on the central nervous system;
7. Uncompensated hypo or hyperthyroidism;
8. Previous cardiovascular event history.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Paroxetine; Paroxetine 7,5 mg - 1 pill/day for 12 weeks	Drug: Paroxetine
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Placebo oral capsule (corn starch) - 1 pill/day for 12 weeks	Drug: Placebo oral capsule

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Endothelial function in non invasive venous occlusion plethysmography	Forearm blood flow (ml/min per 100 ml)	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Rio de Janeiro State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ciciliana MZ Rech, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro- BioVasc laboratory; Study Chair: Ruth Clapauch, PhD, Rio de Janeiro State University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Taddei S, Virdis A, Ghiadoni L, Mattei P, Sudano I, Bernini G, Pinto S, Salvetti A. Menopause is associated with endothelial dysfunction in women. Hypertension. 1996 Oct;28(4):576-82. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.28.4.576.
• Bechlioulis A, Kalantaridou SN, Naka KK, Chatzikyriakidou A, Calis KA, Makrigiannakis A, Papanikolaou O, Kaponis A, Katsouras C, Georgiou I, Chrousos GP, Michalis LK. Endothelial function, but not carotid intima-media thickness, is affected early in menopause and is associated with severity of hot flushes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Mar;95(3):1199-206. doi: 10.1210/jc.2009-2262. Epub 2010 Jan 15.
• Lambrinoudaki I, Augoulea A, Armeni E, Rizos D, Alexandrou A, Creatsa M, Kazani M, Georgiopoulos G, Livada A, Exarchakou A, Stamatelopoulos K. Menopausal symptoms are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in healthy recently postmenopausal women. Climacteric. 2012 Aug;15(4):350-7. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2011.618564. Epub 2011 Dec 1.
• Silveira JS, Clapauch R, Souza Md, Bouskela E. Hot flashes: emerging cardiovascular risk factors in recent and late postmenopause and their association with higher blood pressure. Menopause. 2016 Aug;23(8):846-55. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000641.
• Orleans RJ, Li L, Kim MJ, Guo J, Sobhan M, Soule L, Joffe HV. FDA approval of paroxetine for menopausal hot flushes. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 8;370(19):1777-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1402080. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): March 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): May 11, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 12, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 10, 2018
• Last Verified: April 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: paroxetine; endothelial dysfunction; blood pressure; sleep quality; heart rate variability; postmenopause; sleepiness; perceived stress
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Manifestations; Flushing; Hot Flashes; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Psychotropic Drugs; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Serotonin Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 Inhibitors; Paroxetine
• Other Study ID Numbers: CAAE 6717515.1.0000.5259

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No