Cholesterol Ratio Indicative of HRT Heart Effects

A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that menopausal women who are considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should get their cholesterol levels checked to get an idea about their heart risk due to the therapy.

Some studies have shown that HRT can weaken the hearts of women going through menopause and put them at increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other heart related events. However, there are also studies that have shown HRT to be far more beneficial in soothing extreme symptoms of menopause than the heart side effects it exerts. So far, no criteria have been defined for judging if a woman is at increased risk of heart disease due to the treatment or not.

The new study by Dr. Paul F. Bray and colleagues at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia provides this much needed test. The research team analyzed data gathered on women as part of the hormone trials under the Women’s Health Initiative. 271 of the women covered developed coronary heart disease while 707 women did not have heart disease.

The researchers found that women who had bad LDL cholesterol to good HDL cholesterol ratio below 2.5 did not face any increase in risk of a heart attack or angina upon using oestrogen alone or with progesterone. However, if the ratio was 2.5 or above, the women faced a 73 percent higher risk of heart problems.

“Because studies on hormone therapy have shown that they may increase heart attacks and strokes, many women have been reluctant to use this treatment,” Dr Bray said. “We found that a simple and widely used blood test may be useful to advise women if they are at an increased risk of a heart attack while undergoing hormone therapy.”

Dr. Bray stressed that the LDL/HDL ratio can help predict only coronary risk in women starting hormone therapy; it is of no help in predicting the risk of stroke. He also highlighted the fact that hormone therapy might lead to a number of other conditions including blood clots and breast cancer and that the LDL/HDL ratio might not be useful in predicting these conditions.

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