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Estrogen replacement and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation in older women.
Tuesday,2012-11-06 12:05 America/Los_Angeles — eenright
| Title | Estrogen replacement and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation in older women. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2001 |
| Authors | Herrington, DM, Espeland, MA, Crouse, JR, Robertson, J, Riley, WA, McBurnie, MA, Burke, GL |
| Journal | Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pagination | 1955-61 |
| Date Published | 2001 Dec |
| ISSN | 1524-4636 |
| Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Analysis of Variance, Brachial Artery, Cardiovascular Diseases, Drug Therapy, Combination, Estrogen Replacement Therapy, Estrogens, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Progestins, Risk Factors, Ultrasonography, Vasodilation |
| Abstract | <p>It remains unclear whether estrogen therapy (with or without progestin) improves endothelial function in older postmenopausal women with or at risk for coronary heart disease. To address this issue, we analyzed brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal study of cardiovascular risk factors in subjects over 65 years of age. At the tenth annual Cardiovascular Health Study examination, 1662 women returned for follow-up. Eighteen percent (n=291) were current users of estrogen replacement, most of whom (75.9%, n=221) took unopposed estrogen. Brachial artery ultrasound examinations measuring vasodilation in response to a flow stimulus (hyperemia) were performed on 1636 women. There were no statistical differences in brachial flow-mediated vasodilator responses between users and nonusers, even after adjustment for potential confounders. Absence of an effect was most notable in women over 80 years old and in those with established cardiovascular disease. However, among women without clinical or subclinical cardiovascular disease or its risk factors, there was a significant association between hormone replacement therapy use and flow-mediated vasodilator responses (P=0.01). Among older postmenopausal women, favorable vascular effects of estrogen may be limited to those who have not yet developed atherosclerotic vascular disease. These data emphasize the importance of ongoing efforts to determine the role of hormone replacement therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.</p> |
| DOI | 10.1161/hq1201.100241 |
| Alternate Journal | Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol |
| PubMed ID | 11742870 |
| Grant List | M01RR07122 / RR / NCRR NIH HHS / United States N01HC85079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01HC85086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01HL35129 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01HL58020 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |