The effect of postmenopausal estrogen therapy on the risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effect of postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy on the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes in women.


METHODS
Postmenopausal women aged 50 through 70 years (n=848) without diagnosed diabetes at baseline were followed for 10 to 15 years for incident diabestes.


RESULTS
Over the average 11.5 year follow-ip, there were 105 new cases of diabetes. The age-adjusted relative-risk for development of diabetes was nonsignificantly lower for women with continuous estrogen replacement therapy use than for never users. After adjustment for major covariates, a nonsignificant linear trend with increasing duration of estrogen replacement therapy was reversed.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that previous results showing a reduced risk of diabetes in women using estrogen may have been due to selection bias regarding who is prescribed estrogen, confounding factors, or differential diagnostic efforts.
Gabal
L L
LL
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0607, USA.
Goodman-Gruen
D
D
Barrett-Connor
E
E
D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D015983:Selection Bias