Effects of percutaneous oestradiol versus oral oestrogens on bone density.
In order to compare the effects on bone density of 1.5 mg/day percutaneous 17 beta-oestradiol (E2) and of 0.625 mg/day oral conjugated oestrogens (CEE), 68 women who had undergone hysterectomy were studied. The subjects were randomly allocated to one of three study groups. A total of 15 women dropped out from these groups during the study. The percutaneous group (n = 20) received treatment for 36 months and the oral group (n = 17) for 24 months, while the untreated group (n = 16) served as controls over a period of 24 months. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual gammagraphic densitometry (Novo 22A densitometer) in the lumbar spine (L2-L4). The percentage gain in the percutaneous group was 1.7% +/- 3.9% after 12 months, 5.6% +/- 2.9% (P < 0.001) after 24 months and 4.7% +/- 3.2% (P < 0.01) after 36 months. In the oral group the gain was 3.5% +/- 13.0% after 12 months and 4.3% +/- 9.2% (P < 0.001) after 24 months. In the untreated group the bone density loss was 6.6% +/- 3.5% (P < 0.001) after 12 months and 9.1% +/- 3.4% (P < 0.001) after 24 months. On the basis of our results we concluded that both 1.5 mg/day percutaneous E2 and 0.625 mg/day oral CEE not only prevented bone loss but also increased BMD, as was confirmed by our findings after 36 and 24 months of treatment, respectively.
Palacios
S
S
Instituto Palacios, Madrid, Spain.
Menéndez
C
C
Jurado
A R
AR
Vargas
J C
JC
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D004958:Estradiol