Volume 1, Number 2, October 2004

Effects of low-dose continuous combined HRT on vascular function in women with type 2 diabetes
Andrew FB Kernohan, Angela Spiers, Naveed Sattar, Chris Hillier, Steve J Cleland, Michael Small, Mary-Ann Lumsden, John MC Connell, John R Petrie

Background: Improvement in vascular endothelial function is widely cited as a beneficial effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are at increased cardiovascular risk and have impaired endothelial function. Any benefits of HRT on endothelial function in this group are of particular interest.
Objectives: We assessed effects on vascular function of oral 17β oestradiol (1 mg) and norethisterone (0.5 mg) in postmenopausal women with T2DM.
Design: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Assessments: Twenty-eight women had pulse wave velocity (PWV) and adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 assessed before and after three months’ treatment. Twenty-four women also had gluteal fat biopsy for assessment of resistance vessel function (using wire myography).
Results: HRT did not affect PWV, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 or carbachol response. Effects of L-NAME and indomethacin on carbachol sensitivity were similar in both groups.
Conclusions<:/i> This HRT preparation had no detectable effect on these measures of endothelial function in women with T2DM.

Diabetes Vasc Dis Res 2004;1:82-88.

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