Hormone replacement therapy: limited response in the UK to the new evidence.

نویسندگان

  • Joy Townsend
  • Kiran Nanchahal
چکیده

Following the publication of major trials and other studies of hormone replacement therapy, patients in the UK have been advised not to take the drug long-term and to limit short-term use. Response to the new evidence in terms of prescribing in the US has been published recently and we thought it important to assess changes in use in England. Prevalence of use in England increased steadily in the 25 years to 2001, rising 10fold from 1980 to the mid 1990s; numbers of prescriptions continued to rise between 1998 and 2001 by over 1% per year, but fell in 2002, the year the major recent evidence was published. We have now examined newly published government statistics on the numbers of prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy (British National Formulary 6.4.1.1 and 6.4.1.2) to analyse trends in prescriptions in England from 1998 to 2003. Prescriptions for 2003, the first full calendar year of data subsequent to the first of the recent trial publications, are compared with those for 2001, the last full calendar year of data prior to these publications. Prescriptions for HRT in England in the calendar year 2003 were 20.7% below their 2001 level as shown in the figure. Prescriptions for conjugated equine oestrogens combined with progestogen had fallen by 9% in England between 1998 and 2001 and by 2003 had fallen to 37.5% below the 2001 level. Prescriptions for oestradiol with progestogen increased by 7.5% per year from 1998 to 2001, but then reversed to give a 20.7% fall between 2001 and 2003. The reported annual decrease in all HRT prescriptions in the US, based on January–July 2003 compared to January–December 2001 is considerably greater at 36.5% (the full year figures were not available at time of their publication). About 36% of post-menopausal women in Britain were taking HRT in 1996-2002 (38–40% in the US) and although use fell by some 21% after 2001, it is still probably unprecedented as a drug in widespread use by a predominantly well population. As was seen following the case control studies in the 1970s, it may take some years for a full response to the research evidence to be seen. The trial results suggest that the current reductions in use, if sustained, may make a contribution to

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Attitude and knowledge of women about menopause and hormone replacement therapy

Abstract: Introduction: Menopause is one of four crises of women’s life that predispose for many of hormonal change. Menopause is the stage of women’s life in which ovarian function is terminated and level of estrone hormones that are secreted form ovarianes, severely reduced. Menopause accompanied with remarkable somatic and psychologic changes. The most important of these changes ...

متن کامل

Thyroid hormone replacement one day before 131I therapy in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer

Objective: The current study aimed to determine the efficacy of radioiodine-131 (131I) ablation therapy with thyroid hormone replacement one day before 131I administration in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Methods: This retrospective study included 29 patients who underwent 131I therapies twice for DTC during 6-12 months.  Since all the patients obviously had residual l...

متن کامل

P-53: The Unexpected Occurrence of SpontaneousPregnancy during Hormone ReplacementTherapy for Premature Ovarian Failure

Background: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined by the association of amenorrhea, hypoestrogenism and elevated (menopausal) levels of serum gonadotropins before age of 40 years-old. This condition affects approximately %1 of women under 40 years of age. Physiologic replacement of ovarian steroid hormones seems rational until the age of normal menopause. Temporary return of ovarian functi...

متن کامل

Comparison of Piascledine (Avocado and Soybean Oil) and Hormone Replacement Therapy in Menopausal-Induced Hot Flashing

Different symptoms in Climacteric period, includes hot flash. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is common therapy for relief of menopausal symptoms but has possible contraindications and side effects. Recently Piascledine (combination of Avocado oil with Soybean oil) showed effects in reducing hot flash severity. Present study designed to compare the effects of HRT with Piascledine in treatment...

متن کامل

Comparison of Piascledine (Avocado and Soybean Oil) and Hormone Replacement Therapy in Menopausal-Induced Hot Flashing

Different symptoms in Climacteric period, includes hot flash. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is common therapy for relief of menopausal symptoms but has possible contraindications and side effects. Recently Piascledine (combination of Avocado oil with Soybean oil) showed effects in reducing hot flash severity. Present study designed to compare the effects of HRT with Piascledine in treatment...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners

دوره 55 516  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2005