HRT raises new hopes in cardiovascular health

Once widely thought to promote cardiovascular health in women, a new American research reveals that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may not be quite as dangerous as indicated earlier.

Earlier, millions of women across the U.S. stopped using the hormone replacement therapy when the risks of life-threatening conditions were first revealed in 2002.

A medical treatment for surgical menopause, pre-menopause and post-menopause, hormone replacement therapy is undertaken to prevent discomfort and health problems caused by reduced levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones.

The treatment involves a series of drugs designed to artificially boost hormone levels, HRT may be performed by patches, tablets, creams, troches, IUDs, vaginal rings, gels or, more rarely, by injection.

Women aged 50 to 79 years were recruited to the study from 40 US clinical centers between September 1993 and October 1998.

The research published in the April issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, observed a non-significant trend for total mortality for women in their fifties undertaking hormone replacement therapy.

For women with less than 10 years since menopause began, the hazard ratio for coronary heart disease was 0.76. For women between 10 to 19 years since menopause, the stroke risk stood at 1.10, while it was 1.28 for women with menopause since 20 or more years.

However, the risk of stroke elevated for women aged between 60 and 70 still experiencing menopause symptoms regardless of whether undergoing HRT, the study suggests.

The overall risk of death from any cause was reduced for women aged between 50 and 60 taking HRT.

"The absence of excess absolute risk of coronary heart disease and the suggestion of reduced total mortality in younger women offers some reassurance that hormones remain a reasonable option for the short term treatment of menopause symptoms. The findings are consistent with recommendations that hormone therapy may be used for short term relief of symptoms but not in the longer term prevention of cardiovascular disease," Dr Jacques Rossouw of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Betheseda, Maryland, said.