The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be contributed to by the climacteric (menopause in women):
Eyes and eye appendages (H00-H59).
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (“dry eyes“).
- Visual impairment
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).
- Obesity (overweight)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hyperlipoproteinemias (lipid metabolism disorders)
Skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99)
- Alopecia/hair loss (due to relative hyperandrogenemia).
- Facial hypertrichosis (increase in facial hair).
- Skin changes such as xeroderma (dry skin; due tocollagen deficiency).
- Mucosal atrophy (tissue atrophy).
Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)
- Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries) → coronary heart disease (CHD) ↑, myocardial infarction ↑ (heart attack).
- Cardiac arrhythmias – atrial fibrillation (VHF).
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99)
- Osteoporosis (bone loss)
Psyche – nervous system (E00-E90)
- Anxiety disorders
- Exhaustion
- Depression (postmenopausal depression)
- Insomnia (sleep disorders)
- Psychological lability
- Irritability
- Nervousness
- Dizziness syndromes
- Sexual dysfunction (libido disorder, loss of libido).
Genitourinary system (kidneys, urinary tract – sex organs) (N00-N99).
- Atrophic senile colpitis (vaginal atrophy/tissue atrophy of the mucosa of the vagina).
- Stress incontinence (formerly: stress incontinence) – loss of urine during physical exertion as a result of a bladder closure problem.
- Bladder overactivity syndrome (unstable bladder).
- Dyspareunia – pain during sexual intercourse.
- Increased susceptibility to infections for UTIs
- Pruritus vulvae (itching of the vagina)
Further
- With the onset of menopause, parameters of lung function (FVC (forced vital capacity) and FEV1 (forced expiratory pressure; one-second capacity)) decrease more rapidly than before menopause; the decrease in FVC is greater than that in FEV1
