Is Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Cardioprotective?

HRT improved cardiovascular disease markers but did not affect atherosclerosis progression in recently menopausal women.

Whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) provides cardioprotective benefits in recently menopausal women remains unclear. To examine this issue, investigators conducted a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 727 recently menopausal women (mean age, 52.7; mean time after menopause, 1.4 years; range, 0.5–3.0 years) without prior cardiovascular disease (NCT00154180).

Participants were randomized to one of three treatments: oral conjugated estrogen (OCE; 0.45 mg/day), transdermal 17β-estradiol (t-E; 50 mcg/day), or placebo. Annual change in carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), a measure of atherosclerosis progression, was the primary endpoint. Measurement of CIMT for at least one follow-up visit was avai…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Is Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Cardioprotective?

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Reviewing Author