雌激素或许保护50s岁妇女的心脏

dr.qinan · 发表于 2009-8-7 16:56:37

In a big, federally-funded study of hormone replacement therapy, women in their 50s who took estrogen fared better on a key measure of heart health than women who took placebos, according to an analysis published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The finding comes from one group of patients in the Women’s Health Initiative, a massive study involving thousands of volunteers.

Some experts have suggested that the effects of hormone therapy may be different for women of different ages — and that the drugs may actually reduce heart attack risk for women in their 50s, while raising the risk for older women. An analysis published earlier this year found that women in their 50s who took hormones in the WHI had a 30% lower risk of dying for any reason than women who took placebos, notes the WSJ’s Tara Parker-Pope.

Today’s article bolsters that hypothesis. Researchers measured the level of calcium in the coronary arteries of more than 1,000 women, roughly nine years after the women enrolled in the study. All were in their 50s when the study began. Calcium buildup in the arteries is a predictor of future cardiovascular problems, and the women who took estrogen had significantly less calcium buildup than those who received placebo.

Wary of over-interpreting their findings, the authors are careful to note that estrogen could theoretically have other effects that would raise the risk of heart attacks. They write that “hormone therapy should not be initiated (or continued) for the express purpose of preventing cardiovascular disease in either younger or older post-menopausal women.”

“The current recommendations from many organizations that hormone therapy be limited to the treatment of moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms, with the lowest effective dose used for the shortest duration necessary, remain appropriate,” the authors conclude.

The analysis also included only women who had undergone hysterectomy and used only estrogen. Menopausal women who still have a uterus take a combination of estrogen and progestin. And it’s unclear if that combination could lead to healthier arteries in the same age group.