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HRT Could Increase Risk of Dementia
Aired May 28, 2003 - 14:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Medical news now. Here's something that could change the habits of millions of women, especially those who are well past menopause. Ongoing studies of combined hormone replacement therapy suggest the treatment could be aggravating the very problems it's supposed to prevent.
CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When women over the age of 65 take a popular form of hormone replacement therapy, they double their risk of getting dementia. That's according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health. The news prompted this warning.
DR. SALLY SHUMAKER, STUDY COAUTHOR: For older women, the message is fairly clear, the bottom line is that older women shouldn't be taking combination hormone therapy.
COHEN: The drug is called Prempro. Wyeth, the company that makes it, points out that the study was only on women over the age of 65, so the results don't pertain to younger menopausal women. So what should women under age 65 do when facing menopause?
The answer from the National Institutes of Health: even in younger women, this same drug increases the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer, according to a study last summer.
(on camera): Given all this bad news, the question surely comes up, why would anyone want to take hormones? Well, studies do show that they help fight osteoporosis and hot flashes.
(voice-over): The bottom line, according to the authors of the latest study:
SHUMAKER: Women with really severe symptoms we still recommend that they consider combination hormone therapy, but they take it for as short a period of time as possible, and at the lowest dose possible.
COHEN: Menopause experts we talked to say the key is to think about why you're taking hormones. Whatever the reason might be, lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise might help. And if not, there could be other drugs out there that work better and are safer than hormones.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Here is another way to look at the results of this new study. If 10,000 women over the age of 65 were to take hormones, this combined hormone replacement therapy, for one year, 23 would get dementia because of the hormones.
PHILLIPS: What's the FDA doing about this?
COHEN: Well, the FDA says that they are reviewing the results of this most recent study, and that they may change the labeling because of it.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, what are women supposed to do?
COHEN: What women are supposed to do is they are supposed to talk to their doctor. I know some women who we have talked to have said I love these hormones, I don't care what the studies show, and as long as you are fully armed with the knowledge, as long as you know the risks that you're taking, then at least you know what you're going in for, and the rule is, according to doctors now, is take it for as short a time as possible, at as low a dosage as possible. But doctors say you really want to think about why you're taking it. For example, if you're taking it for hot flashes, you might find that there's an alternative remedy, an herbal remedy, that might work as well. Maybe not, but that's possible.
PHILLIPS: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 28, 2003 - 14:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Medical news now. Here's something that could change the habits of millions of women, especially those who are well past menopause. Ongoing studies of combined hormone replacement therapy suggest the treatment could be aggravating the very problems it's supposed to prevent.
CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When women over the age of 65 take a popular form of hormone replacement therapy, they double their risk of getting dementia. That's according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health. The news prompted this warning.
DR. SALLY SHUMAKER, STUDY COAUTHOR: For older women, the message is fairly clear, the bottom line is that older women shouldn't be taking combination hormone therapy.
COHEN: The drug is called Prempro. Wyeth, the company that makes it, points out that the study was only on women over the age of 65, so the results don't pertain to younger menopausal women. So what should women under age 65 do when facing menopause?
The answer from the National Institutes of Health: even in younger women, this same drug increases the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer, according to a study last summer.
(on camera): Given all this bad news, the question surely comes up, why would anyone want to take hormones? Well, studies do show that they help fight osteoporosis and hot flashes.
(voice-over): The bottom line, according to the authors of the latest study:
SHUMAKER: Women with really severe symptoms we still recommend that they consider combination hormone therapy, but they take it for as short a period of time as possible, and at the lowest dose possible.
COHEN: Menopause experts we talked to say the key is to think about why you're taking hormones. Whatever the reason might be, lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise might help. And if not, there could be other drugs out there that work better and are safer than hormones.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Here is another way to look at the results of this new study. If 10,000 women over the age of 65 were to take hormones, this combined hormone replacement therapy, for one year, 23 would get dementia because of the hormones.
PHILLIPS: What's the FDA doing about this?
COHEN: Well, the FDA says that they are reviewing the results of this most recent study, and that they may change the labeling because of it.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, what are women supposed to do?
COHEN: What women are supposed to do is they are supposed to talk to their doctor. I know some women who we have talked to have said I love these hormones, I don't care what the studies show, and as long as you are fully armed with the knowledge, as long as you know the risks that you're taking, then at least you know what you're going in for, and the rule is, according to doctors now, is take it for as short a time as possible, at as low a dosage as possible. But doctors say you really want to think about why you're taking it. For example, if you're taking it for hot flashes, you might find that there's an alternative remedy, an herbal remedy, that might work as well. Maybe not, but that's possible.
PHILLIPS: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
