Does hormone therapy increase allergic reactions and upper gastrointestinal problems? Results from a population-based study of Swedish woman. The women's health in the Lund area (WHILA) study.
OBJECTIVE
To delineate the use of various drugs particularly pertaining to allergy and upper gastrointestinal problems in relation to hormone status in middle aged women.


METHODS
An analysis from a population-based study on women born between 1935 and 1945 and lived in the Lund area southern Sweden. Of 10,766 women, 6,917 provided complete data sets; in turn 5,673 were assessed for the use of medication in this study. Among the cohort, 9% of women were premenopausal (PM), 54% were postmenopausal without hormone replacement therapy (PM0) and 37% were current hormone replacement therapy users (PMT).


RESULTS
There were 7 (1.3%) women in PM, 11 (0.4%) in PM0 and 21 (1.0%) in PMT group who used loratadine regularly. There was a significant difference between the PM and PM0 groups and also between the PM0 and PMT groups in the use of loratadine (P < 0.05 ). Among 21 loratadine users in PMT group 4 (19%) used transdermal patches and 17 (81%) used oral HRT. The result for omeprazole use was as follows: 4 (0.8%) of PM group, 39 (1.3%) of PM0 group and 42 (2.0%) of PMT group. The use of omeprazole was significantly higher in the PMT group than in the PM (P = 0.05 ) and PM0 group (P < 0.05 ). There was no relation between the use of omeprazole and smoking or alcohol consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of hormone replacement therapy seems to be related to a higher frequency of omeprazole and loratadine use, which implies that hormone replacement therapy, may be associated with more upper gastrointestinal symptoms as well as allergy.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lund University Hospital, Lund S-221 85, Sweden.
Ali
A
Khatibi E
Göran
G
Samsioe
Cairu
C
Li
Jonas
J
Lidfeldbt
Carl-David
CD
Agardh
Christina
C
Nerbrand
D000368:Aged; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002979:Climacteric; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017336:Loratadine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D017336:Loratadine; D009853:Omeprazole