Hormone use and cognitive performance in women of advanced age.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and cognitive performance in a group of elderly women (>/=75) using a battery of well-standardized neuropsychological instruments.


METHODS
Equivalent samples from existing cohort.


METHODS
Healthcare provider organization.


METHODS
All women enrolled were participants in an ongoing study of the association between HRT and the prevalence and incidence of dementia. Prescription records were used to establish HRT status. Fifty-eight users and 47 nonusers of HRT participated in this substudy.


METHODS
Given previous reports that HRT has a positive effect on verbal memory, the California Verbal Learning Test and the Logical Memory Test were used as primary outcomes. A range of validated tests that assess other cognitive domains was also included.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences between users and nonusers of HRT on any cognitive measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Given equivalent groups of users and nonusers of HRT no support was found for the hypothesis that use of HRT improves cognitive performance in older women.
Galen Buckwalter
J
J
Department of Research and Evaluation, Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, California 91101, USA. galen.x.buckwalter@kp.org
Crooks
Valerie C
VC
Robins
Sean B
SB
Petitti
Diana B
DB
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D004967:Estrogens