HRT Use Linked to Increased Risk of Asthma in Women
Okay, okay. Explain to me again why HRT is consistantly one of the most heavily prescribed pharmaceuticals?? I just don’t understand. And why did these results not end up all over the news media?
(article) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with an increased risk of adult-onset asthma but not chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researches reported here at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians. Analysis of the data revealed that “current users of estrogen alone had an increased risk of asthma (RR 1.8) compared with never-users of HRT after adjustment for age and smoking,” and this risk increased with the dose and length of estrogen use. In addition, women who took estrogen and progestin and past users of HRT “had similarly elevated risks of asthma.” “This is a large increase in risk for developing asthma. However, the number of women who develop asthma in this age range is relatively small, particularly compared with those who develop heart disease or osteoporosis,” Dr. Barr told Reuters Health. Also, Dr. Barr pointed out, the analysis so far indicates that HRT is not associated with worsening of pre-existing asthma. Dr. Barr’s group also found that “current users of estrogen also were at increased risk of a new diagnosis of both asthma and COPD (RR 2.0) compared with never-users of HRT.” The risk of COPD alone was the same for HRT and non-HRT users, after adjusting for age and smoking, and there were no effects associated with dose or duration of HRT.