Vasomotor hot flushes and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in normotensive women: A placebo-controlled trial on post-menopausal hormone therapy.
BACKGROUND
Blood pressure (BP) is one of the most powerful determinants of cardiovascular risk in women. This risk may differ between post-menopausal women with and without vasomotor hot flushes, possibly indicating different vascular responses to hormone therapy (HT). Thus, we compared in a clinical trial the effect of HT on ambulatory BP in normotensive, recently post-menopausal women with or without severe hot flushes.


METHODS
A total of 147 women recorded prospectively their hot flushes for 2 weeks; 70 women were symptomatic (>or=7 moderate/severe hot flush episodes/day), whereas 77 women were defined as asymptomatic (<or=3 mild hot flush episodes/day). Women were treated for 6 months with either transdermal estradiol, oral estradiol with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate, or placebo.


RESULTS
In symptomatic women decreases in BPs were seen during estradiol use. In contrast, in asymptomatic women receiving oral but not transdermal estradiol, increases in 24-h and day-time systolic and diastolic BPs were encountered.


CONCLUSIONS
Hot flushes modify the HT-mediated responses in ambulatory BP. In asymptomatic women oral but not transdermal estradiol show potentially harmful cardiovascular effect by increasing BP. Our results give additional justification to prescribing HT primarily for the treatment of troublesome hot flushes and avoiding HT in women without vasomotor symptoms.
Tuomikoski
Pauliina
P
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Haapalahti
Petri
P
Sarna
Seppo
S
Ylikorkala
Olavi
O
Mikkola
Tomi S
TS
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000284:Administration, Oral; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D004967:Estrogens; D004958:Estradiol; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate