|
A gene
variation in some women appears to result in dramatic increases
in "good" cholesterol when they take estrogen therapy,
according to Dr. David Herrington, professor of cardiology
at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
"If
our findings hold true, a simple gene test could help doctors
and women make better decisions about the use of hormone replacement
therapy for prevention of heart disease," said Herrington.
Herrington
analyzed 309 women with heart disease who took hormone replacement
therapy or a placebo. The women with a common mutation in
an estrogen receptor gene had dramatic increases in high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ("good" cholesterol).
"The
increase in HDL was more than twice as much as in women without
the gene variant," said Herrington.
HDL cholesterol
has been shown to be helpful in preventing heart disease,
especially in women. A total of 18 percent of women had a
genetic predisposition to high levels of HDL cholesterol when
taking estrogen, according to Herrington. The HDL increase
was two or three times what is typically achieved with cholesterol
drugs used to raise HDL.
"More
research is needed to see if the higher HDL levels translate
into fewer heart attacks," said Herrington. "We
also need to know if women with the gene variant are more
sensitive to estrogen's other effects. But, this finding is
exciting because it shows the potential for doctors to use
genetic testing to improve decisions about drug therapy."
Doctors
have been prescribing hormone replacement therapy to prevent
heart disease in postmenopausal women, based on studies showing
that women who took estrogen had fewer heart attacks. However,
more recent studies have shown that in women with heart disease,
taking hormone replacement does not slow the progression of
their disease.
"Our
research suggests that genetics may identify some women who
respond more favorably to hormone replacement therapy than
others," said Herrington.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of April 14, 2002
|
HOME PAGE
