title: The effect of hormone replacement on physical performance in community-dwelling elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to determine the effect of hormone replacement on physical performance measures, functional ability, physical activity, falls, and cognitive function in elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following a 3-month, open-label, run-in phase, we randomized 373 community-dwelling women aged 65 years and older to receive conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg/day plus or minus medroxyprogesterone 2.5 mg/day vs placebo for 3 years in a double-blind fashion. We assessed time to rise from a chair, timed walking, balance, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly, Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination, and falls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 3 years, except for balance scores, performance measures declined significantly (all P<.05). There were no significant mean differences between women on hormone replacement versus placebo for rising time (0.1, -0.5 to 0.7 seconds [mean, 95% confidence interval]), walking normal (0.0, -0.4 to 0.4 seconds), and walking fast (0.2, -0.1 to 0.6 seconds). There were no significant mean differences between the two groups for the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (0.1, -0.1 to 0.3 points), Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly (-3, -15 to 8 points), Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (-0.1, -0.3 to 0.3 points), or the proportion of participants reporting falls (-1, -11 to 9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In elderly women, hormone replacement had no statistically significant effect on cognition or balance, nor did it prevent the age-related decline in physical measures of mobility, ability to rise from a chair, self-reported activities of daily living, physical activity scores, or falls.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3221, USA. millerm@dom.pitt.edu
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Greenspan
authors.forename: Neil M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D019386:Alendronate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000517:prevention & control; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000187:drug effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016138:Walking
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D014807:Vitamin D; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone; D002118:Calcium; D019386:Alendronate