Not just for hot f lushes! Further proof HRT cuts a woman’s heart risk

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

A 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, which affects half a million people in Britain. 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 by 2.3million women 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 of London, 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 some healthier heart characteristics.’

Experts have long warned that HRT increases the risk of certain cancers. However, recent studies have shown these risks are not as significant as feared.

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-meno-to pausal 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 from NHS patients in the UK Biobank database, 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 non-HRT groups. Previous studies on heart disease and HRT have produced mixed results. Less positive research has linked the treatment with a greater risk of blood clots.

Ashleigh Doggett, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the research in journal PLOS One, said: ‘The effect of menopausal hormone therapy on heart health is still unknown, with previous research showing both positive and negative effects on the heart.

‘This study adds to our understanding by suggesting that the treatment does have a positive effect on the heart’s structure, which should give reassurance to women taking the treatment.’

‘Healthier characteristics’