Hormone replacement therapy improves arterial stiffness in normotensive postmenopausal women

Aortic stiffness, determined by the pulse wave velocity (PWV), is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk. PWV is mainly influenced by age-associated alterations of arterial wall structure and blood pressure (BP). To determine the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on arterial compliance in normotensive, postmenopausal women, we examined the effects of HRT on PWV.

Fifty-six postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years were recruited into the present retrospective study from the patients visiting our menopause clinic. Twenty-seven women who were prescribed HRT (14 on estrogen alone and 13 on estrogen plus progestogen) for several months to 6 years and an age-matched group of 29 women not on HRT were studied (Study 1). Nine postmenopausal women were also studied before and at 4 weeks of the treatment of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) (Study 2). Brachial to ankle PWV (baPWV), which is correlated with aortic PWV, was determined using an automatic device, BP-203PRE.

In Study 1, PWV was significantly correlated with age in both groups (controls: r=0.392, P=0.035; HRT group: r=0.471, P=0.013), and HRT significantly lowered the PWV value at all ages examined (Mean+/-S.D. of baPWV in controls: 1382.2+/-114.1; HRT: 1245.3+/-124.8, P=0.0001). In Study 2, baPWV decreased significantly after ERT (P<0.05), without a significant change in systolic BP (P=0.851).

Estrogen appears to improve arterial compliance independently of BP within 4 weeks.