For non-oral HT , decreases in lipoprotein(a ) , cell adhesion molecules , and factor VII generally were significant , resistance to activated protein C ( APCr ) was slightly increased , and other markers including CRP and homocysteine did not change .
Compared with oral HT , changes in CRP and APCr were smaller , changes in cell adhesion molecules and some fibrinolytic parameters tended to be smaller , whereas changes in other factors including lipoprotein(a ) and homocysteine did not differ .
( S ) Potentially unfavorable changes seen with oral HT on two important markers , CRP and APCr , are substantially smaller with non-oral HT .
Non-oral HT has minor effects on the other cardiovascular risk markers studied .
Therefore , compared with oral HT , non-oral HT appears be safer with respect to atherosclerotic and venous thromboembolic disease risk
OBJECTIVE To review the effects of non-oral administration of postmenopausal hormone therapy ( HT ) on risk markers for atherosclerotic and venous thromboembolic disease .
Non-oral postmenopausal HT appears not to increase venous thromboembolic risk , whereas the effect on coronary heart disease risk is less clear .
Effects of hormone replacement therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: a double blind placebo-controlled study.
AIMS --To study the effects of ovarian hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) on bone mineral density and disease activity in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) . METHOD --A placebo controlled double-blind study was carried out on 62 patients with RA , 22 on placebo and 40 on HRT ( transdermal oestradiol patches twice weekly for 48 weeks plus norithisterone tablets when clinical ly indicated ) . Bone mineral density of spine , hip and wrist was measured at 0 and 48 weeks and clinical and laboratory measures of general well-being and disease activity at 0 , 12 , 24 and 48 weeks . RESULTS --Thirteen of 22 ( 59 % ) of placebo and 31 of 40 ( 78 % ) of the HRT group completed 48 weeks in the study . At entry ,  bone mineral density ( BMD ) values in the lumbar spine and femoral neck were similar to those in age and sex matched controls in both treatment groups , whereas at the distal radius , BMD was significantly reduced to approximately 50 % of control values ( both p < 0.001 from controls ) . In the HRT group , spine BMD increased significantly by a median of + 0.94 % at 48 weeks ( p = 0.024 ) , but did not change significantly in the placebo group . BMD at the femoral neck and distal radius did not change in either group . In the HRT group , there was significant improvement in well being as assessed by the Nottingham Health Care Profile ( p < 0.01 ) and in the articular index ( p < 0.05 ) . There were no significant changes in ESR or CRP in either group . CONCLUSION --Transdermal HRT was well tolerated , increased well being , reduced articular index and increased lumbar spine bone density over a one year period in postmenopausal women with RA . Although no laboratory evidence was found of a disease modifying effect , the symptomatic benefits and improvements in bone density indicate that HRT may be a valuable adjunct to conventional antirheumatic therapy in RA
For non-oral HT , decreases in lipoprotein(a ) , cell adhesion molecules , and factor VII generally were significant , resistance to activated protein C ( APCr ) was slightly increased , and other markers including CRP and homocysteine did not change .
Compared with oral HT , changes in CRP and APCr were smaller , changes in cell adhesion molecules and some fibrinolytic parameters tended to be smaller , whereas changes in other factors including lipoprotein(a ) and homocysteine did not differ .
( S ) Potentially unfavorable changes seen with oral HT on two important markers , CRP and APCr , are substantially smaller with non-oral HT .
Non-oral HT has minor effects on the other cardiovascular risk markers studied .
Therefore , compared with oral HT , non-oral HT appears be safer with respect to atherosclerotic and venous thromboembolic disease risk
OBJECTIVE To review the effects of non-oral administration of postmenopausal hormone therapy ( HT ) on risk markers for atherosclerotic and venous thromboembolic disease .
Non-oral postmenopausal HT appears not to increase venous thromboembolic risk , whereas the effect on coronary heart disease risk is less clear .