A study of women with diabetes showed that hormone replacement helps some, but not others.

There's ongoing controversy over the role of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women with a risk of heart disease. A study by scientists at the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute in California shows that women with diabetes who had not had a recent heart attack were less likely to have new heart problems on HRT.

They studied over 24,000 women with no recent history of heart attack and 580 who had had a heart attack in the last year. In the former group, use of HRT involving estrogen and progestin was linked to a 22 per cent reduced risk of heart attack compared to those not on HRT.

But women who had had a recent heart attack were at a 78 per cent increased risk of another heart attack if they were on HRT. Further research might clarify the position, but it looks as if women should not rely on HRT to reduce their risk of heart problems if they have diabetes.

Source

Circulation 2nd December 2002