STUDY FINDS HEART BOOST FOR WOMEN TAKING HRT

WOMEN who take hormone replacement therapy to cope with the menopause may have a reduced risk of heart failure, a new study has found.

The study suggests HRT could offer health benefits beyond just relieving menopausal symptoms such as night sweats and hot flushes.

Women on HRT for at least three years do not show the early warning signs of heart failure. Their hearts are more able to pump blood efficiently and so less likely to have to store it up and expand — which can lead to the organ failing.

Previous research has suggested oestrogen, which is lost during the menopause but topped up by HRT may prevent heart muscle cells from dying.

If so, HRT could provide vital protection for women, who are less likely than men to suffer from heart disease until the menopause but see their risk soar in middle age.

The therapy is currently taken to alleviate symptoms of the menopause — but it has also been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Lead author Dr Mihir Sanghvi, from the research team at Queen Mary University, said: ‘This is the first study to look at the relationship between the use of menopausal hormone therapy and subtle changes in the structure and function of the heart, which can be predictors of future heart problems.

‘We’ve now been able to show that the use of menopausal hormone therapy is not associated with any adverse changes to the heart’s structure and function, and may be associated with healthier heart characteristics.’

Researchers are now paying more attention to the effects of HRT on the likelihood of suffering from heart disease because the menopause can increase women’s susceptibility to it. They no longer have oestrogen in their body — to produce eggs — so lose the hormone’s protective effects on their heart and blood vessels.

The Queen Mary study looked at more than 1,600 post-menopausal women, almost a third of whom had taken HRT for the past three years.

The researchers were searching for early warning signs of heart failure, which almost one in five sufferers die from in the first year after diagnosis. They found women on HRT were more likely have normal-sized chambers in their left ventricle and atrium — and so were less at risk.

By contrast, those with early signs of heart failure tended to have enlarged chambers. Their heart muscle was less elastic, pumping blood less efficiently, and too much blood was trapped in the heart, which forced its chambers to expand.

The study used MRI scans to comparing the hearts of women on HRT with those of women who had gone through the menopause without hormones. They also examined the mass of the left ventricle, which can predict a higher risk of heart disease and death. However, there was no clear difference between the HRT and nonHRT groups.

Previous studies on heart disease and HRT have produced mixed results. Less positive research has linked hormone replacement therapy with a greater risk of blood clots.