Menopause. Hormone substitution therapy and prevention of cardiovascular risk

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in over 60-year-old women. The mean age of onset is about 10 years later in women compared to men, a difference which can be explained by the end of physiological estrogen production in menopause. METHODS: The authors treated a group of 68 menopausal patients with HRT for a period of 5 years. RESULTS: A series of positive effects emerged from the study which were potentially capable of preventing ischemic cardiopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The authors reached the conclusion that--owing to its beneficial effects on lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as on coagulation factors and arterial pressure--HRT is able to prevent cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of infarction by between 20 and 50%.