Asthma risk from HRT
Wednesday September 28th, 2011
Women who have taken hormone replacement therapy have been placed at risk of severe asthma attacks, researchers have reported.
The
finding, reported yesterday, is the latest among several complications
which have led to dramatic reductions in the use of HRT.
Dr Klaus Bonnelykke from the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre in Copenhagen, and his team looked at the risk for women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after the menopause.
They used figures on 23,138 women. Those using HRT were 30 per cent more likely to be hospitalised for asthma. Taking HRT for longer increased the risk. Those on HRT for more than ten years were at a 50 per cent higher risk.
This risk was still seen when other risk factors - such as smoking and body mass index - were taken into account.
"Previous research has suggested a link between asthma and female sex hormones, especially HRT," said Dr Bonnelykke.
"Our findings not only confirm this link, but also extend this to severe asthma exacerbations. We still need the final proof from randomised trials, but we believe that the suspicion is now so strong that it should be brought to the attention of clinicians.
"If a patient develops asthma or has a severe worsening of symptoms after taking HRT, they may need to stop hormone therapy altogether."
He explained that women in the study were using both pure oestrogen and combined products. More research is needed on effects of female sex hormones on asthma, and this risk in particular, he believes.
In terms of death from asthma, the researchers say there were too few deaths in this study to draw a conclusion.
The research was presented yesterday (September 27) at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Bonnelykke, K. et al. Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy is associated with increased risk of asthma hospitalization. Abstract no. 4111, presented at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, held from September 24 to 28, 2011.
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Europe | Pharmaceuticals | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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