Медицинские услуги
© 2017-2021 Сайт «БЕЛМЕД.БАЙ», info@belmed.by
December 1, 2002 — In what may be the first report to document the effect of HT on hot flashes in older women, researchers analyzing data from the HERS trial found that symptoms typically attributed to menopause are common in elderly women. For these women, continuous combined hormone therapy can provide relief of vasomotor symptoms — though perhaps lower doses may be preferable to the dosages studied, note researchers.
Most studies of menopausal symptoms focus on midline women between 45 and 60 years of age. Researchers here examined the data from 2,763 participants in HERS, which was a large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of women with documented heart disease, funded by Wyeth-Ayerst Research. The mean age of participants studied was 67, and the women averaged 18 years since menopause.
Of the HERS participants, 16 percent at baseline reported frequent hot flashes, 26 percent vaginal dryness, 10 percent genital irritation, 55 percent trouble sleeping, and 53 percent early awakening. Although the prevalence of symptoms declined with age, hot flashes were still a complaint among women one or more decades after menopause.
Researchers found that women treated with combined continuous HT (at the dosage of conjugated estrogens 0.625 mg plus medroxyprogesterone acetate 2.5 mg) were less likely than women on placebo to report hot flashes, vaginal dryness and trouble sleeping. By year 1 of treatment, improvement was especially marked for hot flashes. There was no improvement in early awakening with hormone treatment, suggesting this symptom may not be related to estrogen status.
Side effects of HT were also evident. Women assigned to this dosage of HT were more likely to develop somewhat or very frequent vaginal discharge, genital irritation, uterine bleeding and breast symptoms than women assigned to placebo. The authors note that lower doses of HT may be advisable for such women, depending on the reasons for starting therapy.
Автоматический перевод на русский язык