ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS, ULTRA-SENSITIVE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, AND FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION OF THE BRACHIAL ARTERY IN PATIENTS USING COMBINED HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

BACKGROUND: Oral combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs) are one of the most used contraceptive methods worldwide, however, their use may have accessory effects that can generate metabolic, inflammatory, and vascular alterations.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of cardiovascular risk factors, Ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (US-CRP), and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation in patients using hormonal contraceptives.DESING AND SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study including 109 women (18 to 40 years old) conducted between August 2017 and January 2020 who were assisted at the Brazilian Public Health System in countryside city in northeastern of Brazil.METHODS: The volunteers were divided into two groups according to the use of CHCs and submitted to measurement evaluations of clinical, laboratory, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery parameters. RESULTS: The statistical analysis of results between groups showed the following results as total cholesterol (P = < 0.01), high-density lipoprotein, HDL (P = 0.01), triglycerides, TG (P < 0.01), and US-CRP (P = < 0.01). The FMD measurement showed changes in 37.75% (n = 20) of women who were not using CHCs and in 32.15% (n = 18) of women using CHCs (P = 0.37) (odds ratio, OR = 0.78). There were no significant changes between glycemic indexes and parameters clinicals.CONCLUSION: Users of CHCs showed higher levels of total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides compared to those who did not use it. The US-CRP results showed a significant increase among CHCs users, however, no change between the FMD values was observed.