Biomaterial Database

Postmenopausal hormone therapy and the risk of cardiovascular disease. 2009

Vera Bittner

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, 701 19th Street South - LHRB 310, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0007, USA. vbittner@uab.edu

BACKGROUND Risks and benefits of postmenopausal hormone therapy remain highly controversial. After publication of the Women's Health Initiative hormone trials and several other major trials, the American Heart Association designated postmenopausal hormone therapy as 'Class III', if initiated for the purpose of cardiovascular disease prevention. Subsequent post hoc analyses of the Women's Health Initiative data have renewed enthusiasm for hormone therapy among younger postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE To review data from randomized clinical trials that have assessed cardiovascular outcomes of hormone therapy including coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and venous thromboembolism. METHODS The review focuses on cardiovascular effects of hormone therapy only and does not attempt to integrate potential risks and benefits related to symptoms, cancer, osteoporosis or other noncardiovascular effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy. The literature search included original trial publications, post hoc analyses, and aggregate data from meta-analyses published in English and accessible to the author in full-text format for detailed analysis. CONCLUSIONS Risks of hormone therapy seem to predominate among older postmenopausal women. Data among younger women close to menopause are insufficient to recommend such therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D002318	Cardiovascular Diseases	Pathological conditions involving the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM including the HEART; the BLOOD VESSELS; or the PERICARDIUM.	Adverse Cardiac Event,Cardiac Events,Major Adverse Cardiac Events,Adverse Cardiac Events,Cardiac Event,Cardiac Event, Adverse,Cardiac Events, Adverse,Cardiovascular Disease,Disease, Cardiovascular,Event, Cardiac
D002339	Carotid Arteries	Either of the two principal arteries on both sides of the neck that supply blood to the head and neck; each divides into two branches, the internal carotid artery and the external carotid artery.	Arteries, Carotid,Artery, Carotid,Carotid Artery
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D015914	Estrogen Replacement Therapy	The use of hormonal agents with estrogen-like activity in postmenopausal or other estrogen-deficient women to alleviate effects of hormone deficiency, such as vasomotor symptoms, DYSPAREUNIA, and progressive development of OSTEOPOROSIS. This may also include the use of progestational agents in combination therapy.	Hormone Replacement Therapy, Post-Menopausal,Postmenopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy,Replacement Therapy, Estrogen,Estrogen Progestin Combination Therapy,Estrogen Progestin Replacement Therapy,Estrogen Replacement,Replacement, Estrogen,Therapy, Estrogen Replacement,Estrogen Replacement Therapies,Estrogen Replacements,Hormone Replacement Therapy, Post Menopausal,Replacement Therapies, Estrogen,Replacements, Estrogen,Therapies, Estrogen Replacement
D016032	Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic	Works about clinical trials that involve at least one test treatment and one control treatment, concurrent enrollment and follow-up of the test- and control-treated groups, and in which the treatments to be administered are selected by a random process, such as the use of a random-numbers table.	Clinical Trials, Randomized,Controlled Clinical Trials, Randomized,Trials, Randomized Clinical
D018570	Risk Assessment	The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988)	Assessment, Risk,Benefit-Risk Assessment,Risk Analysis,Risk-Benefit Assessment,Health Risk Assessment,Risks and Benefits,Analysis, Risk,Assessment, Benefit-Risk,Assessment, Health Risk,Assessment, Risk-Benefit,Benefit Risk Assessment,Benefit-Risk Assessments,Benefits and Risks,Health Risk Assessments,Risk Analyses,Risk Assessment, Health,Risk Assessments,Risk Benefit Assessment,Risk-Benefit Assessments