Estrogen therapy and thrombotic risk.
Post-menopausal hormone therapy increases the risk for venous thrombosis, and possibly myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke. However, most women using hormone therapy do not suffer thrombosis, and to date our ability to identify women at risk is limited. Thrombosis, arterial or venous, has 2 requisites: a vascular anomaly and a response of the hemostasis system to the anomaly. Consequently, experimental approaches to understand the pathophysiology of thrombosis require definition of vascular anatomy and function as well as characteristics of the blood within the context of genetic background, lifestyle choices and environmental exposures, which influence gene expression. Defining interactions among factors that affect individual propensity to thrombosis will allow physicians to better identify at-risk individuals, for example a woman contemplating estrogen therapy for symptoms of menopause, and prevent adverse thrombotic events.
Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, United States. miller.virginia@mayo.edu
Virginia M
VM
Miller
Muthuvel
M
Jayachandran
John A
JA
Heit
Whyte G
WG
Owen
D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014680:Veins / Q000187:drug effects
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein