Menopause age and hypercholesterolemia comorbidities: a region-wide retrospective cohort study in Andalusia, Spain (2016–2022)

OBJECTIVES: To quantify sex- and age-related differences in hypercholesterolaemia diagnosis and associated comorbidities around the menopausal transition, using a population-based real-world dataset. DESIGN: Retrospective, multicentre, non-interventional observational cohort study. SETTING: Region-wide public healthcare system data (primary and secondary care) from Andalusia (Spain), 2016-2022. PARTICIPANTS: All adult patients meeting inclusion criteria with a recorded diagnosis of hypercholesterolaemia between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2022 (n=557 034; 227 834 men and 329 200 women). INTERVENTIONS: None. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were age- and sex-stratified patterns of hypercholesterolaemia diagnosis and comorbidity burden before and after age 50 years (proxy for post-menopausal age). Secondary outcomes included comorbidity-specific comparisons between sexes across age strata and trajectory-based analyses (OR trajectories and incidence-ratio summaries). RESULTS: Women were diagnosed later than men (mean age 59.1 vs 56.0 years; mean difference 3.1 years, 95% CI 3.03 to 3.17). Hypercholesterolaemia diagnoses in women rose sharply around ages 50-55 and remained higher than in men at older ages. Comorbidity patterns differed by sex across age strata: compared with men, women aged ≥50 years had higher frequencies of osteoporosis (42 255 vs 2623), anxiety disorder (94 916 vs 31 374) and hypertension (147 538 vs 91 532), with statistically significant differences for these comparisons (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Menopause age is a pivotal period associated with a shift towards higher hypercholesterolaemia diagnosis rates and a greater burden of specific comorbidities in women. These findings support sex-specific prevention and management strategies, particularly targeting the menopausal transition and early post-menopause.