Hormone replacement therapy improves arterial stiffness in normotensive postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Aortic stiffness, determined by the pulse wave velocity (PWV), is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk. PWV is mainly influenced by age-associated alterations of arterial wall structure and blood pressure (BP). To determine the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on arterial compliance in normotensive, postmenopausal women, we examined the effects of HRT on PWV.


METHODS
Fifty-six postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years were recruited into the present retrospective study from the patients visiting our menopause clinic. Twenty-seven women who were prescribed HRT (14 on estrogen alone and 13 on estrogen plus progestogen) for several months to 6 years and an age-matched group of 29 women not on HRT were studied (Study 1). Nine postmenopausal women were also studied before and at 4 weeks of the treatment of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) (Study 2). Brachial to ankle PWV (baPWV), which is correlated with aortic PWV, was determined using an automatic device, BP-203PRE.


RESULTS
In Study 1, PWV was significantly correlated with age in both groups (controls: r=0.392, P=0.035; HRT group: r=0.471, P=0.013), and HRT significantly lowered the PWV value at all ages examined (Mean+/-S.D. of baPWV in controls: 1382.2+/-114.1; HRT: 1245.3+/-124.8, P=0.0001). In Study 2, baPWV decreased significantly after ERT (P<0.05), without a significant change in systolic BP (P=0.851).


CONCLUSIONS
Estrogen appears to improve arterial compliance independently of BP within 4 weeks.
Miura
Sayaka
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2, Iidanishi, Yamagata, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
Tanaka
Eiichi
E
Mori
Akiko
A
Toya
Mayumi
M
Takahashi
Kazuhiro
K
Nakahara
Kenji
K
Ohmichi
Masahide
M
Kurachi
Hirohisa
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003187:Compliance / Q000187:drug effects; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011372:Progestins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D004967:Estrogens; D011372:Progestins