Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of illness and mortality in women.
According to Dr. Korytkowski, type 2 diabetes is a highly prevalent disorder among women affecting approximately 10 percent of postmenopausal women. Despite attempts to modify the prevalence of this disorder, there has been a 10 percent increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes over the past decade. Diabetes, she said, magnifies the impact of other coronary artery disease risk factors such as hypertension and high cholesterol. Several studies have shown that postmenopausal women without diabetes who take estrogen reduce their risk of cardiovascular events by almost 50 percent. This study will provide an important step directed toward identifying the effect of estrogen therapy on cardiovascular risk in women with type 2 diabetes.