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Estrogen therapy may be risky for stroke victims
By: Thomas H. Maugh II
Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2001
The study follows recent reports that hormone
treatment also is not effective in preventing heart disease.
Based on those studies, the American Heart Assn. in July recommended
against prescribing the hormone solely to prevent heart disease and
strokes. Estrogen therapy is effective, however, at preventing bone loss
and easing symptoms of menopause.
Dr. Catherine M. Viscoli and her colleagues at Yale University studied 991
women, with an average age of 71, who had suffered either full strokes or
so-called mini-strokes.
The women were randomly assigned to receive either a standard dose of
estrogen or a placebo. The team reported in the Oct. 25 New England
Journal of Medicine that, after eight years, 99 of the women getting
estrogen had suffered further strokes, compared with 93 of those receiving
placebo.
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