Who Should Receive Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States and increases dramatically in postmenopausal women. The following review summarizes the known benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy and gives recommendations for use of hormone replacement in women. Estrogen may play a role in preventing the development of atherosclerosis in women by raising levels of HDL cholesterol, lowering levels of LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein (a), lowering levels of fibrinogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, dilating coronary arteries, preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, decreasing the proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells, and decreasing the production of inflammatory cell activators. These antiatherogenic effects of estrogen may translate into clinical benefits. A meta-analysis of 31 studies yielded a 44% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease in women taking estrogen alone. Unopposed estrogen is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer; therefore, progestin is added to estrogen in women with an intact uterus. Less is known about the effect of the combination of estrogen and a progestin on the risk of coronary heart disease. Estrogen is also beneficial in the prevention of osteoporosis; however, long-term use of estrogen alone and estrogen in combination with progestin may increase the risk for breast cancer. Mathematical modeling predicted that women with no risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, or osteoporosis may gain 0.9 years of life with the use of estrogen alone; women with risk factors for cardiovascular disease can expect to gain 1.5 years of life; and women with coronary heart disease at the age of 50 can expect to gain 2.1 years of life. The current American College of Physicians recommendations for hormone replacement are as follows: (1) All women should be considered; (2) women with a hysterectomy should receive estrogen alone; (3) women at risk for, or with, coronary heart disease are most likely to benefit from estrogen; with an intact uterus, progestin must be added; (4) risks of estrogen may outweigh benefits in women at increased risk for breast cancer. Definitive guidelines for the treatment of women must await the results of randomized clinical trials in the ongoing Women's Health Initiative. These will not be available for several years, and until then any recommendations for women will have to be judged from estimates of risk rather than of benefit from reduction of risk. The decision whether to initiate estrogen replacement in postmenopausal women is one that still needs to be made on an individual patient basis.