[Menopausal hormone replacement therapy and prevention of neurologic complications]

Aging of the population in industrialized countries, as a result of increased life expectancy, is associated with an increased risk of neurological diseases. Prevention of disability is one of the objectives of hormone replacement therapy of menopause (HRTM). Based on a review of the literature, the authors present the benefits of HRTM in terms of prevention of neurological complications. Estrogens directly and indirectly influence the neurological status. A decreased incidence of cerebrovascular accidents and dementia of the Alzheimer type and improvement of cognitive function in cases of dementia have been reported in several clinical and epidemiological papers. These data need to be confirmed by large-scale prospective studies conducted by epidemiologists and neurologists.