Specific types of HRT found to raise risk of heart disease and blood clots

WOMEN taking definite types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs containing some oestrogen and progesterone could beryllium astatine higher hazard of bosom disease, a caller survey has found.

HRT is utilized to relieve symptoms of menopause, including blistery flushes and nighttime sweats - symptoms usually amended aft a fewer days oregon weeks of taking it.

Previous probe has suggested a nexus betwixt menopausal hormone therapy and an accrued hazard of cardiovascular disease, but accusation connected the risks of antithetic types has been lacking.

The caller survey from Sweden, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), acceptable retired to measure the effect of HRT connected the hazard of cardiovascular illness according to however it was administered and the operation of hormones.

The researchers analysed information connected 920,000 menopausal women from 138 studies and recovered women taking HRT tablets containing some oestrogen and progesterone were much apt to make ischemic heart disease and uncommon but superior humor clots known arsenic venous thromboembolism.

An HRT tablet called tibolone was associated with an accrued hazard of bosom disease, bosom onslaught and stroke.

Lead writer Therese Johansson, of Uppsala University, said: “These findings item the divers effects of antithetic hormone combinations and medication methods connected the hazard of cardiovascular disease.”

The women successful the survey were aged 50-58 betwixt 2007 and 2020 and had not utilized hormone therapy successful the erstwhile 2 years.

They excluded women with a history of bosom disease, stroke, narrowed arteries, oregon cancer, and who had undergone country to region their ovaries, a hysterectomy, oregon sterilisation.

Using monthly medicine records, the women were assigned to 1 of 8 menopausal hormone attraction groups - oral combined continuous (taking oestrogen and progesterone each time without a break), oral combined sequential, oral unopposed oestrogen, oral oestrogen with section progestin, tibolone, transdermal unopposed estrogen, oregon present menopausal hormone therapy.

Hospital records were past utilized to way cardiovascular events implicit 2 years.

Compared with not starting menopausal hormone therapy, starting oral combined continuous therapy oregon tibolone was linked to an accrued hazard of ischemic bosom disease.

The accrued hazard for some types of HRT was shown to beryllium the aforesaid arsenic 11 caller cases of ischaemic bosom illness per 1,000 women who instrumentality the drugs implicit the abstraction of a year.

No accrued hazard of cardiovascular illness was recovered for transdermal treatments, which see tegument patches, gels and creams.

But an accrued hazard of humor clots was besides recovered for oral combined continuous, oral combined sequential, oral unopposed oestrogen, and transdermal combined therapy.

The authors wrote: "If 1,000 women started each of these treatments and were observed for a year, we would expect to spot 7 caller cases of venous thromboembolism crossed each groups."

Tibolone was linked to an accrued hazard of changeable and bosom attack, but not humor clots.

Benefits and risks of HRT

The benefits of HRT usually outweigh the risks, with caller grounds saying the risks of superior broadside effects are precise low.

The main payment is grounds relief, but it could besides forestall osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) and assistance support musculus strength.

HRT tin somewhat summation your hazard of breast cancer - if you've had bosom crab you'll usually beryllium advised not to instrumentality it.

The NHS besides advises HRT tablets tin summation the hazard of humor clots, though the hazard is inactive precise low.

And HRT tablets could somewhat summation the hazard of stroke.

If you're reasoning astir taking HRT, talk to your GP who tin assistance you decide.