THE RISK OF STROKE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN RECEIVING HORMONAL THERAPY

Stroke affects one in five women and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The incidence increases with age, and the number of females experiencing a stroke is similar to the number of men, unlike in coronary disease, where the number of females suffering from the disease is lower before menopause and then slowly becomes equal to the number of men. There are multiple risk factors for stroke, but the most significant ones influencing the relationship between hormones and stroke are obesity, hypertension and smoking. There have been multiple studies looking at the relationship between hormones and stroke. Among observational studies, 21 have shown no effect, while six have shown a decreased risk and four studies, an increased risk. It is clear that the risk of stroke with hormones is only for ischemic and not hemorrhagic stroke. Among randomized trials, the Women's Health Initiative data, because of the study's size, have provided the greatest weight in meta-analytic reviews. Overall, an...