A study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has highlighted the potential of statins in reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women undergoing hormone therapy.
Published in JAMA Network Open, this study could significantly impact the risk-benefit analysis for hormone therapy in this demographic.
The research involved a large cohort of 223,949 women, averaging 57.5 years of age, and analyzed data from a commercially insured claims database in the United States. This nested case-control study included 20,359 cases and 203,590 matched controls.
The findings indicated that statin therapy, commonly used for managing cardiovascular risks, also reduced the VTE risk in women receiving hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.
Typically, hormone therapy, which addresses issues like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and cognitive changes, has been linked to an increased risk of VTE.
The study showed that hormone therapy without statin use heightened VTE risk by 53%, but this risk was reduced by 18% when statins were also used.
The efficacy of statins in mitigating VTE risk was particularly pronounced with high-intensity statin therapy. This finding is crucial as it offers a possible way to manage the adverse clotting risks associated with hormone therapy.
However, the study also underscores that statin therapy, while reducing the risk, does not entirely eliminate it. This calls for further controlled studies to explore this relationship in more depth.
Given the widespread use of hormone therapy to manage menopausal symptoms and the prevalence of statin therapy for cardiovascular concerns, this research holds substantial significance.
It opens the door to potentially safer hormone therapy protocols for postmenopausal women, enhancing their quality of life while mitigating significant health risks.
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The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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