title: Assessing fatal cardiovascular disease risk with the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) scale in post-menopausal women 10 years after different hormone treatment regimens.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess fatal cardiovascular disease (FCD) risk among women in early post-menopausal years, as evaluated with the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study of parallel cohorts. Two hundred seventy-three healthy post-menopausal women. Participants received one of the following hormone treatment (HT) regimens: transdermal estradiol (50 microg) (n = 99), sequential cyclic HT with transdermal estradiol (50 microg/day) plus 200 mg/day natural micronised oral progesterone (cycle days 12-25) (n = 63) and combined HT using transdermal estradiol (50 microg) plus 100 mg/day of micronised oral progesterone (n = 61). A group of women who elected not to use HT served as control group (n = 50). SCORE values were assessed before HT or follow up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only one woman displayed a high-risk SCORE value both before and after 10 years of HT, the remaining had low risk values (<5%) for FCD. After 10 years, SCORE values increased significantly as compared to baseline among HT users (all three regimens) and controls. Although post-treatment SCORE values significantly differed among groups, values were all below the high risk cut-off (5%). There were no FCD events during the 10 year observation period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As assessed with the SCORE scale, FCD risk in young post-menopausal women (HT users and controls) had a slight significant increase after 10 years, being values in the low risk range.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Zaragoza Hospital Clínico, Zaragoza, Spain. faustino.perez@unizar.es
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cuadros-López
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Alonso
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cuadros-Celorrio
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sabatel-López
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011374:Progesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol