Health
Type of HT may determine degree of cardiovascular trouble
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 25, 2004
The version of progestin used in hormone therapy may affect the amount of heart damage experienced during a cardiovascular event, according to a study presented at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting held this month in Washington, D.C.
Researchers treated postmenopausal monkeys for one year with ethinyl estradiol combined with either norethindrone acetate or medroxyprogesterone acetate and compared them with those who were not treated. Scientists then induced a heart attack in the monkeys.
The animals that had received no therapy had 20% irreversible heart muscle damage. Those who had received the estrogen with the norethindrone had 5% damage, and those who had received estrogen plus medroxyprogesterone had 35% damage.
"We were very surprised," said J. Koudy Williams, PhD, lead investigator and a researcher with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "The two progestins produced dramatically different results. If we can learn more about this mechanism we might be able to identify better hormone therapies for postmenopausal women."
HT is no longer recommended for cardiac protection on the basis of results from the Women's Health Initiative but is still used by some women for menopausal symptoms.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/25/hlbf1025.htm.
