Evaluation of hormone replacement therapy use by the sales figures.

Despite the efficiency of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to prevent climacteric manifestations and possibly the long-term deleterious influences of menopause, the prevalence of HRT is relatively low, and quite variable, depending on the population studied. Presently, there is no information regarding HRT in Switzerland and in the region of Geneva, which have particularly aged populations, with a life expectancy among the longest in the Western world. In this study, the number of women treated per year in 1993 and 1996, as well as the prevalence of HRT were estimated, based on the total amount of hormone preparations sold for HRT. In Switzerland, for a female population older than 45 years of about 1.45 million, the number of women on HRT was approximately 166,000 in 1993 and 202,000 in 1996. For Geneva, the female population was more than 86,000, and the number of treated women was about 14,000 and 21,000 in 1993 and 1996, respectively. Depending on the age class considered as susceptible of receiving HRT, the prevalence of this therapy may vary between 15 and 20% for Switzerland, and between 21 and 27% for Geneva in 1993. It was estimated between 17 and 24%, and 31 and 41% in 1996. These values are quite comparable to those reported for other countries with a similar socioeconomic level and obtained using different methods of evaluation.