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Thromb Haemost 2003; 90(01): 124-131
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1613608
Wound Healing and Inflammation/Infection
Schattauer GmbH

Differential effects of oral and transdermal postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapies on C-reactive protein

Karine Lacut
1   Département de Médecine Interne, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Emmanuel Oger
1   Département de Médecine Interne, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Grégoire Le Gal
1   Département de Médecine Interne, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Marie-Thérèse Blouch
2   Laboratoire d’Hématologie, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Jean-François Abgrall
2   Laboratoire d’Hématologie, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Véronique Kerlan
3   Service d’Endocrinologie, Hôpital de la Cavale Blanche, Brest, France
,
Pierre-Yves Scarabin
4   INSERM U 258,Villejuif, France
,
Dominique Mottier
4   INSERM U 258,Villejuif, France
,
and the SARAH investigators › Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 18 September 2002

Accepted after revision 30 March 2003

Publication Date:
07 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the main independent predictors of cardiovascular events. Oral post-menopausal estro-gen replacement therapy (ERT) increases CRP levels, but the effect of transdermal ERT is not well documented.

CRP, interleukine-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were evaluated in a randomised study of 196 healthy postmenopausal women, who were allocated to receive continuous oral estradiol-17β, (n=63) or transdermal estradiol-17β, (n=68) both combined with micronised progesterone, or placebo (n=65). Oral estrogen increased CRP levels compared with both placebo (p=0.010) and transdermal estrogen (p=0.004) at 6 months. There was no significant effect of transdermal estro-gen on CRP levels compared with placebo (p=0.997). No significant difference was found in the median changes for IL-6 and TNF-α between the three treatment groups.

In conclusion, transdermal estrogen has no significant effect on CRP levels at 6 months, but CRP concentrations increased significantly with oral estrogen although no changes in cytokine levels were detected. The clinical relevance of these effects remains to be determined.

Keywords

Oral estrogen replacement therapy - transdermal estrogen replacement therapy - inflammation - C-reactive protein - interleu-kine-6 - tumor necrosis factor alpha - randomised trial
 

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