Comparison of angiographic findings among postmenopausal @entity1 using unopposed XXXX , @entity172 /progestin combinations, and nonusers.

@entity1 @entity172 @entity1420 @entity453 @entity850
Studies of the effects of menopausal hormone therapy on @entity453 ( @entity453 ) in postmenopausal @entity1 have provided contradictory results. Although recent experimental studies have revealed no beneficial effect of combination therapy with @entity172 (E) and @entity1420 (P), the effect of monotherapy with E remains unknown. We retrospectively examined the medical records of 843 consecutive @entity1 aged > or =55 years who underwent their first cardiac catheterization between January 1996 and December 1998. We compared the presence and severity of @entity453 , defined as > or =1 diseased coronary vessel (with @entity850 > or =50%), in @entity1 who only took E, E+P, or no menopausal hormone therapy. In all, 210 @entity1 (33%) took hormones, of whom 47 (22%) used E+P and 163 (78%) used E only. @entity1 who used any hormones tended to be healthier than nonusers, but E+P users had a lower prevalence of risk factors and co-morbidities than E users. In unadjusted analyses, both the E and E+P groups were significantly less likely to have @entity453 than nonusers (relative risk [RR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58 to 0.84 for the E group; RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.99 for the E+P group). Demographic factors, @entity453 risk factors, co-morbidities, and primary prevention medication use explained the association between E+P and the presence of @entity453 (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.39). In contrast, adjustment for these factors had a minimal effect on the association between E and @entity453 compared with nonusers (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.98). Thus, the apparent protective effect of combination menopausal hormone therapy with E+P on @entity453 is due to differences in other @entity1 characteristics. In contrast, unopposed E therapy may have a protective effect on @entity453 .
