[Venous wall and sex hormones]

The effects of female sex hormones upon the veins of lower limbs are well-known particularly since women use widely estroprogestatives or progestatives drugs. The knowledge of the mechanism of action of hormones and particularly of steroids upon cells receptors has been dramatically improved and allowed to explain some endocrinologic states till now misunderstood. In return, intimate mechanism of the hormonal disturbances of venous function is still mysterious. The published studies are conflicting or radically inconsistent with basic notions of hormonal activity which seemed established. The presence of hormonal steroids receptors in endothelial cells from the rabbit aorta intima has been confirmed and the reality of these cytosolic receptors from the pelvic and lower limbs venous tissues has been demonstrated by biochemical methods in some publications. But other authors have pointed out the lack of these receptors on pelvic vessels by using immunohistochemical localization and discovered progesterone receptors in large vessels and myocardial fibers nuclei. Extremely fine effects of natural and synthetic estrogens, that coagulation specialists try to understand, are distorted by rough descriptions which only consider the peculiar but not whole therapeutic aspects. This problem is at the border of several specialties and synthesis have to be achieved. But before the year 2000 substantial progress will surely be carried out with regard to the importance of the lower limbs and genital sphere venous pathology for women (and also for men) and substantial therapeutic consequences will follow.