Beware the HRT fake news

WE’VE had another confusing week of fake health news, thanks to a report in the British Medical Journal that linked hormone replacement therapy to dementia.

The subsequent headlines in some newspapers were alarming: ‘Millions of women who take HRT pills may face a greater risk of Alzheimer’s,’ warned one. This is hugely misleading.

The study compared two groups of older women: those with and those without Alzheimer’s. They found that 18.6 per cent of the women with Alzheimer’s took some form of HRT, compared to 17 per cent of those without Alzheimer’s.

This means HRT could be responsible for between nine and 18 more cases of dementia per 10,000 people.

However, as this study retrospectively compared groups, it’s impossible to say whether HRT was responsible, or if things like family history were at play.

I often speak to women about HRT because many are worried by stories about the medication increasing their chances of developing breast cancer and blood clots. But the risk of these problems remains very low and is outstripped by the benefits.

Many women put on weight and cut their exercise regime because of their symptoms, so they risk obesity and cardiovascular disease. I’ll keep explaining this and recommending HRT to my patients, but the fact that publications such as the BMJ are promoting such weak research doesn’t help.