The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7193 p487-492
13 April 2002

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HRT reduces the risk of breast arterial hardening

Researchers have confirmed that hormone replacement therapy reduces the risk of developing breast arterial calcification (BAC), a possible marker for vascular disease. An increased incidence of BAC is associated with diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke.

Dr Julie Cox, Newcastle breast screening unit, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and colleagues say that BAC is a common but often unreported finding detected on breast screening mammograms. They assessed the influence of hormone replacement therapy on the prevalence of BAC in 4,400 women undergoing mammography for breast cancer screening.

The researchers found that BAC was present on 530 mammograms and that the overall prevalence of BAC in patients recorded as taking HRT for at least three months was 7.8 per cent compared with 14.1 per cent for those not taking HRT (P<0.001). They add that the increase in prevalence of BAC in women not taking HRT was independent of age.

They conclude: "Our findings ... give further support to the accumulated evidence that HRT is beneficial in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease." (Journal of Medical Screening 2002;9:38.)