Long-Term Hormone Treatment Significantly Lowers Mortality Risk

Postmenopausal women who have taken long-term estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) have an overall lower risk of death from all causes than women who have not taken ERT, according to a study in the January 1996 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The primary apparent effect of long-term ERT use was a reduction in coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women.

Bruce Ettinger, M.D., and colleagues at the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California USA, with a grant from the National Cancer Institute, studied data from the medical records and death certificates of 454 postmenopausal women born between 1900 and 1915. They compared 232 women who had taken ERT within three years of starting menopause for a period of five or more years to 222 age-matched women who had not taken ERT (or had taken ERT for less than one year). Women with a history of heart attack, stroke and most forms of cancer were excluded from the study).

Long-term ERT use was associated with a 46 percent reduction in the overall mortality rate from all causes of death, but apparently estrogen appeared to offer the most protection against cardiovascular disease. The lower death rate among estrogen users was related to both the recency and duration of ERT use, according to the study. Those who had taken ERT for longer than 15 years had a risk of death 30 percent lower than those who had used estrogen for a shorter time.

Overall cancer deaths were similar for both groups. Estrogen users did have a higher risk of death from breast cancer than non-users, but the total number of deaths was small and lacked statistical significance. A surprising finding: lung cancer was less common among estrogen users even though cigarette smoking was found in both groups of women.

Source: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 409 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2188 USA, Telephone: 202-484-3321; FAX: 202-479-6826)

Topics:

You may also be interested in . . .

Osteoporosis - Prevention & Intervention - More than 20 million Americans have osteoporosis and over 16 million don't even know it. This condition, in which the bones are thin, brittle and susceptible to fracture, is usually silent until a bone is broken and the individual is left with pain, deformity and possible disability. As our population ages, the numbers of those affected will soar -- unless we do something about it before it is too late! With recent advances in medical science, there is better understanding of principles in prevention and hope for improvement once damage has been done.

Too Many Americans Die Alone, in Pain, Attached to Machines - Efforts to prolong people's lives too often merely prolong dying, say researchers, citing findings from the largest clinical study ever conducted in the United States with patients near death. The eight-year study, involving nearly 10,000 seriously ill patients in five leading medical institutions, was reported in the November 22/29, 1995 issue of JAMA (The Journal of The American Medical Association).

Phone Counseling Services Boom As Health Plans Seek To Curb Costs - In the good old days, nothing came between physicians and their patients. Today, however, telephone-based nurse counseling, a relatively unknown yet booming service, is being positioned as a major point-of-entry to the health care system, according to a report in the American Medical News.

Warts: a Pesky Problem Requiring Persistence - Warts are a very common but challenging skin problem. These pesky bumps, known in dermatological circles as "verrucae," have likely been around since the dawn of man, afflicting millions of individuals. They are caused by a virus called the Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV. There are many subtypes of HPV causing a variety of different warts. They are potentially contagious, spreading to other body areas on one person or to other individuals.

What Causes Dementia? - Basic Introduction to Causes Changes that Occur During Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Issues Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Basic Introduction to Causes