Statins, hormones, and women: benefits and drawbacks for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.

Clinical trials have shown that 3-hydoxy-3- methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, known as statins, significantly reduce the risk of both primary and secondary coronary heart disease events. Although these trials have included few women, the evidence suggests that statins are as effective in women as in men. The addition of hormone replacement therapy to statin therapy augments lowering of low- density lipoprotein cholesterol, but may not increase the favorable effects on clinical events achieved with statins alone. Finally, new data suggest that statins may also reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures, a provocative finding still in need of verification by clinical trials.