Menopause and hormone replacement therapy: effects on the immune system, arthritis and bone

Excerpt

Menopause is, among other things, associated with increased risk of bone loss and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Numerous postmenopausal women in the Western world have replaced the endogenous estrogen by treatment with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (i.e. estrogen + progestin) or estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) (i.e. estrogen alone). Until recently HRT was also regarded as preventive of cardiovascular disease, and possibly even dementia. However, recent findings in large placebo-controlled studies of long-term HRT and ERT in healthy postmenopausal women demonstrated an increased risk of coronary events, stroke, breast cancer and pulmonary embolism among the HRT-treated women. Consequently, today HRT is only recommended for 3–6 months in women with severe menopausal symptoms. …