Primary prevention of coronary heart disease in women.
The British Menopause Society Council is committed to provide up-to-date authoritative reviews to aid health professionals to inform and advise women about key issues in postreproductive health. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death in women. Observational studies have consistently shown estrogen to help prevent CHD in postmenopausal women. The large randomized controlled Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial did not confirm these observational findings. However, further analyses of the WHI study as well as the observational Nurses' Health Study have now found that the timing of onset of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use is important and that estrogen may have a protective role in CHD in women aged 50-59 years. This consensus statement will examine the evidence regarding HRT and non-estrogen therapies (lipid lowering agents, aspirin, antihypertensives, antidiabetic medications, selective estrogen receptor modulators [SERMs]) as well as diet, lifestyle and smoking cessation in the primary prevention of CHD in women.
Rees
Margaret
M
Level 4, Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. margaret.rees@obs-gyn.ox.ac.uk
Stevenson
John
J
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017698:Postmenopause; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators