Comparison of Vascular Findings Between Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Postmenopausal Women Before and During Hormone Therapy (HRT)

Summary

Recent large randomized, placebo-controlled studies assessing the health effects of HT question the overall benefits of long term HT, especially with respect to cardiovascular disease. However, recently menopausal women with severe hot flushes were mostly excluded from these trials. This was unfortunate since vasomotor symptoms may reflect different vascular sensitivity to estrogen or its deficiency, and therefore, the vascular responses to HT in women with and without hot flushes can differ. Aims of the present project are 1. to compare vascular, cardiac and sympathetic function in recently menopausal women with or without severe vasomotor symptoms 2. in a randomized placebo controlled clinical trial investigate vascular response to oral and trans-dermal HT.

Timeline

Start

2005-08

Primary completion

2008-03

Completion

2008-03

Publications

• Background Mikkola TS, Clarkson TB. Estrogen replacement therapy, atherosclerosis, and vascular function. Cardiovasc Res. 2002 Feb 15;53(3):605-19. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6363(01)00466-7.
• Background Mikkola TS, Clarkson TB. Coronary heart disease and postmenopausal hormone therapy: conundrum explained by timing? J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2006 Jan-Feb;15(1):51-3. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2006.15.51. No abstract available.
• Background Collins P, Rosano G, Casey C, Daly C, Gambacciani M, Hadji P, Kaaja R, Mikkola T, Palacios S, Preston R, Simon T, Stevenson J, Stramba-Badiale M. Management of cardiovascular risk in the peri-menopausal woman: a consensus statement of European cardiologists and gynaecologists. Eur Heart J. 2007 Aug;28(16):2028-40. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehm296. Epub 2007 Jul 20.
• Tuomikoski P, Mikkola TS, Tikkanen MJ, Ylikorkala O. Hot flushes and biochemical markers for cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial on hormone therapy. Climacteric. 2010 Oct;13(5):457-66. doi: 10.3109/13697131003624656.
• Tuomikoski P, Ebert P, Groop PH, Haapalahti P, Hautamaki H, Ronnback M, Ylikorkala O, Mikkola TS. Effect of hot flushes on vascular function: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Oct;114(4):777-785. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181b6f268.
• Tuomikoski P, Ebert P, Groop PH, Haapalahti P, Hautamaki H, Ronnback M, Ylikorkala O, Mikkola TS. Evidence for a role of hot flushes in vascular function in recently postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Apr;113(4):902-908. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31819cac04.

Drugs

Indications