Menopause and hyperlipidemia: pravastatin lowers lipid levels without decreasing endogenous estrogens.
In study 1, serum lipid and estrogen levels were determined in 30 women (aged 40 to > 60 years). Total cholesterol (TC) levels increased significantly with age, but no significant association was found between TC levels and menopausal status. Hypercholesterolemia (TC > 220 mg/dl) was identified in 10 women and hypertriglyceridemia (> 150 mg/dl) in 5 women. Among women not receiving estrogen replacement therapy, a significant negative correlation was found between TC levels and estradiol-17 beta levels. In study 2, serum lipid and estrogen levels were determined in 74 women; 12 of the 74 were receiving conjugated estrogen for the treatment of the menopausal syndrome and 21 hyperlipidemic women were receiving pravastatin (2.5 to 30 mg daily). Among postmenopausal women, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels significantly lower in the estrogen-treated than untreated women. Serum TC and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly reduced during pravastatin treatment. Levels of endogenous estrogens (estradiol-17 beta, estrone, and estrone sulfate) were not significantly affected by pravastatin treatment. The results indicate that pravastatin can be used to reduce hyperlipidemia in menopausal women without affecting endogenous estrogen levels.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
H
H
Honjo
K
K
Tanaka
M
M
Urabe
K
K
Naitoh
Y
Y
Ogino
T
T
Yamamoto
H
H
Okada
D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D004970:Estrone / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D004970:Estrone; D004958:Estradiol; D002784:Cholesterol; D017035:Pravastatin