Skip Navigation
American College of Physicians Logo
  • Subscribe
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Sign In
    Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
    INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
    Sign In|Set Up Account
    You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
    INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
    Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
    Annals of Internal Medicine
    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to Annals of Internal Medicine.
    You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your purchase.
Annals of Internal Medicine Logo Menu
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives
  • Author Info
Advanced Search
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Summaries for Patients |21 August 2001

The Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information
  • The summary below is from the full report titled “Hormone Replacement Therapy and Longitudinal Changes in Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women.” It is in the 21 August 2001 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 135, pages 229-238). The authors are A Scuteri, AJG Bos, LJ Brant, L Talbot, EG Lakatta, and JL Fleg.


Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.
×
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Jump To
  • Full Article
  • FULL ARTICLE
  • FULL ARTICLE
    • What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
    • Why did the researchers do this particular study?
    • Who was studied?
    • How was the study done?
    • What did the researchers find?
    • What were the limitations of the study?
    • What are the implications of the study?
  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Supplements
  • Audio/Video
  • Summary for Patients
  • Clinical Slide Sets
  • CME / MOC
  • Comments
  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
  • Email Link
More
  • LinkedIn Link

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

High blood pressure (hypertension) puts people at risk for such complications as heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure becomes more common as people age; after menopause, it becomes even more common in women than it does in men of the same age. One theory is that the increase in blood pressure in women after menopause is related to the decrease in levels of estrogen and other hormones that occur during that phase of life. It is not known, however, whether treating women with estrogen and progestin (hormone replacement therapy, or HRT) is associated with changes in blood pressure after menopause.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To find out whether blood pressure increased less over time in postmenopausal women who took HRT than in women who did not take HRT.

Who was studied?

The researchers studied 226 women who were already participating in a study called the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Seventy-seven women took both estrogen and progestin, and 149 used neither hormone. None of the women had high blood pressure at the start of the study.

How was the study done?

At the beginning of the study and then every 2 years, the researchers collected information about the women's blood pressure and factors known to be associated with changes in blood pressure, including exercise, smoking, cholesterol levels, alcohol use, and body size. The study followed women for an average of 5 to 6 years (a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 18.5 years).

What did the researchers find?

At the start of the study, blood pressure was similar in women who did and those who did not take HRT. Average systolic blood pressure (the first, and higher, number in blood pressure readings) increased less rapidly in women taking HRT than in women who did not take HRT. These differences were found even when the other factors that affect blood pressure were taken into account. Diastolic blood pressure (the second, lower number in blood pressure readings) did not change significantly in either group of women.

What were the limitations of the study?

Women who take hormones tend to be generally healthier and more health conscious than those who choose not to take hormones. It is possible that some of the benefits in blood pressure in the women taking HRT were related to health factors, other than hormone use, that the researchers could not measure.

What are the implications of the study?

Postmenopausal women who take HRT have less of an increase in systolic blood pressure over time than those who do not take HRT.

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

This feature is available only to Registered Users

Subscribe/Learn More
Submit a Comment

0 Comments

PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

The Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women. Ann Intern Med. 2001;135:I–31. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-135-4-200108210-00005

Download citation file:

  • Ris (Zotero)
  • EndNote
  • BibTex
  • Medlars
  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager

© 2019

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 2001;135(4):I-31.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-135-4-200108210-00005

©
2001 American College of Physicians
0 Citations

See Also

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Longitudinal Changes in Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women
View MoreView Less

Related Articles

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Longitudinal Changes in Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women
Annals of Internal Medicine; 135 (4): 229-238
Pooled RCTs: In postmenopausal women, hormone therapy for 6 to 7 years did not affect mortality at 18 years
Annals of Internal Medicine; 168 (2): JC4
In recently postmenopausal women, HRT reduced a composite of death, MI, or heart failure at 10 years
Annals of Internal Medicine; 158 (4): JC2-2
Hormone therapy increased risk for kidney stones in healthy postmenopausal women
Annals of Internal Medicine; 154 (6): JC3-10
View MoreView Less

Journal Club

Pooled RCTs: In postmenopausal women, hormone therapy for 6 to 7 years did not affect mortality at 18 years
Annals of Internal Medicine; 168 (2): JC4
In recently postmenopausal women, HRT reduced a composite of death, MI, or heart failure at 10 years
Annals of Internal Medicine; 158 (4): JC2-2
Hormone therapy increased risk for kidney stones in healthy postmenopausal women
Annals of Internal Medicine; 154 (6): JC3-10
Review: Hormone therapy reduces mortality in younger postmenopausal women
Annals of Internal Medicine; 152 (8): JC4-9
View MoreView Less

Related Point of Care

Menopause
Annals of Internal Medicine; 150 (7): ITC4-1
View MoreView Less

Related Topics

Endocrine and Metabolism

Endocrine and Metabolism.

PubMed Articles

Automated office blood pressure measurements obtained with and without preceding rest are associated with awake ambulatory blood pressure.
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2019.
Effects of clipping endoscopic thoracal sympathectomy at Th4 on cardiopulmonary functions, quality of life and psychosocial functions.
Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2019.
View More

Results provided by: PubMed

CME/MOC Activity Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
The Comments Feature Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
link to top

Content

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives

Information For

  • Author Info
  • Reviewers
  • Press
  • Readers
  • Institutions / Libraries / Agencies
  • Advertisers

Services

  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Alerts
  • Current Issue RSS
  • Latest RSS
  • In the Clinic RSS
  • Reprints & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • About Annals
  • About Mobile
  • Patient Information
  • Teaching Tools
  • Annals in the News
  • Share Your Feedback

Awards and Cover

  • Personae (Cover Photo)
  • Junior Investigator Awards
  • Poetry Prize

Other Resources

  • ACP Online
  • Career Connection
  • ACP Advocate Blog
  • ACP Journal Wise

Follow Annals On

  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2019 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
Annals of Internal Medicine
PURCHASE OPTIONS
Buy This Article|Subscribe
You will be redirected to acponline.org to sign-in to Annals to complete your purchase.
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×