(Defeat Diabetes® News) -- Past research has revealed that post-menopausal hormone therapy increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, leading many women to shy away from the potentially beneficial treatment. A recent study has revealed though that a basic blood test taken prior to administration of the hormones may determine whether or not an increased risk will be incurred by the individual.

 

The comprehensive study was conducted at 40 health centers in America, and was part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a program sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The study "included 271 cases of coronary heart disease in the first four years of the trials of estrogen alone and of estrogen plus progestin."

 

Hormone therapy is "the most effective remedy for managing post-menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats," according to study author Dr. Paul Bray. But because of the apparent risk of heart attack or stroke, many women elect to forgo hormone therapy. "Because studies on hormone therapy have shown that they may increase heart attacks and strokes, many women have been reluctant to use this treatment," says Dr. Bray.

 

The study claims to have found a potential solution to this dilemma that women face. The authors state that "a simple and widely used blood test may be useful to advise women if they are at an increased risk of a heart attack while undergoing hormone therapy." The blood test involves looking at the blood lipids and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in women with no previous history of cardiovascular disease.

 

A rather simple designation was found that "those who entered the study with favorable cholesterol levels were not at increased risk of developing heart problems while taking hormones (estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin), whereas women with unfavorable cholesterol levels were at a greater risk of having heart related complications." Specifically, LDL (bad cholesterol) to HDL (good cholesterol) rations of greater than 2.5 tended to increase the risk of heart disease for women taking post-menopausal hormones. This study did not specifically address strokes as it did heart disease.

 

Revealing that a simple procedure can indicate whether hormone therapy is a safe course of action for many women is a potentially huge find. If these results are confirmed in future studies, including similar research on strokes, more women that are not at increased risk will be able to take these helpful hormones, and women at increased risk will know the potential dangers they face by consuming the hormones. In addition, this study further supports the importance of middle aged and elderly women keeping their cholesterol levels down. At these ages, women are at increased risk for many diseases related to bad cholesterol in addition to heart disease, such as diabetes. Keeping cholesterol levels down will enable more women to both stay healthier and control their post-menopausal symptoms with hormone treatment.