title: Incidence of dementia in long-term hormone users.
abstract: Results from epidemiologic studies of postmenopausal hormone use and dementia have been conflicting. Investigators from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study reported that the incidence of dementia in women aged >/=65 years assigned to hormone use was increased. Here the authors report results from a prospective cohort study of 2,906 dementia-free women (1,519 hormone users and 1,387 hormone nonusers) aged > or =75 years who were recruited from a Southern California health plan in 1999 and followed through 2003. Cognitive status was assessed annually using the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-modified, supplemented by the Telephone Dementia Questionnaire and medical record review. The mean self-reported age at initiation of hormone use was 48.3 years for users of estrogen alone (n = 1,072) and 54.9 years for users of estrogen plus progestin (n = 447); self-reported mean durations of hormone use were 30.5 years and 23.2 years, respectively. There were 283 incident dementia cases identified during follow-up. After adjustment for age, education, and medical history, hazard ratios for incident dementia were 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.89) in estrogen/progestin users and 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 0.94, 1.59) in estrogen users. These findings do not provide support for an effect of estrogen or estrogen/progestin use in preventing dementia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Analysis, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA.
authors.forename: Diana B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Petitti
authors.forename: Valerie C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Crooks
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: J Galen
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Buckwalter
authors.forename: Helena C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chui
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003071:Cognition; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011372:Progestins; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011372:Progestins