As ObGyns, we are the first-line health care providers for our menopausal patients in terms of identifying, preventing, and initiating treatment for women at risk for fragility fractures. Osteoporosis is probably the most important risk factor for bone health, although sarcopenia, frailty, poor eyesight, and falls also play a significant role in bone health and fragility fracture.
In 2005, more than 2 million incident fractures were reported in the United States, with a total cost of $17 billion.1 By 2025, annual fractures and costs are expected to rise by almost 50%. People who are 65 to 74 years of age will likely experience the largest increase in fracture—greater than 87%.1
Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative study showed that the number of women who had a clinical fracture in 1 year exceeded all the cases of myocardial infarction, stroke, and breast cancer combined.2 Furthermore, the morbidity and mortality rates for fractures are staggering. Thirty percent of women with a hip fracture will be dead within 1 year.3 So, although many patients fear developing breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease remains the number 1 cause of death, the impact of maintaining and protecting bone health cannot be emphasized enough.
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WHI incidental findings: Hormone-treated menopausal women had decreased hip fracture rate
Manson JE, Aragaki AK, Rossouw JE, et al; WHI Investigators. Menopausal hormone therapy and long-term all-cause and cause-specific mortality: the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trials. JAMA. 2017;318:927-938.
Manson and colleagues examined the total and cause-specific cumulative mortality of the 2 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) hormone therapy trials. This was an observational follow-up of US multiethnic postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years (mean age at baseline, 63.4 years) enrolled in 2 randomized clinical trials between 1993 and 1998 and followed up through December 31, 2014. A total of 27,347 women were randomly assigned to treatment.
Treatment groups
Depending on the presence or absence of a uterus, women received conjugated equine estrogens (CEE, 0.625 mg/d) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 2.5 mg/d) (n = 8,506) or placebo (n = 8,102) for a median of 5.6 years or CEE alone (n = 5,310) versus placebo (n = 5,429) for a median of 7.2 years. All-cause mortality (the primary outcome) and cause-specific mortality (cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, and other major causes of mortality) were analyzed in the 2 trials pooled and in each trial individually.
All-cause and cause-specific mortality findings
Mortality follow-up was available for more than 98% of participants. During the cumulative 18-year follow-up, 7,489 deaths occurred. In the overall pooled cohort, all-cause mortality in the hormone therapy group was 27.1% compared with 27.6% in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.99 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94–1.03]). In the CEE plus MPA group, the HR was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.96–1.08). For those in the CEE-alone group, the HR was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.88–1.01).
In the pooled cohort for cardiovascular mortality, the HR was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.92–1.08 [8.9% with hormone therapy vs 9.0% with placebo]). For total cancer mortality, the HR was 1.03 (95% CI, 0.95–1.12 [8.2% with hormone therapy vs 8.0% with placebo]). For other causes, the HR was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.88–1.02 [10.0% with hormone therapy vs 10.7% with placebo]). Results did not differ significantly between trials.
Key takeaway
The study authors concluded that among postmenopausal women, hormone therapy with CEE plus MPA for a median of 5.6 years or with CEE alone for a median of 7.2 years was not associated with risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, or cancer mortality during a cumulative follow-up of 18 years.
WHAT THIS EVIDENCE MEANS FOR PRACTICE
Postmenopausal hormone therapy is arguably the most effective “bone drug” available. While all other antiresorptive agents show hip fracture efficacy only in subgroup analyses of the highest-risk patients (women with established osteoporosis, who often already have pre-existing vertebral fractures), the hormone-treated women in the WHI—who were not chosen for having low bone mass (in fact, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry [DXA] scores were not even recorded)—still had a statistically significant decrease in hip fracture as an adverse event when compared with placebo-treated women. Increasing data on the long-term safety of hormone therapy in menopausal patients will perhaps encourage its greater use from a bone health perspective.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy is arguably the most effective “bone drug” available. While all other antiresorptive agents show hip fracture efficacy only in subgroup analyses of the highest-risk patients (women with established osteoporosis, who often already have pre-existing vertebral fractures), the hormone-treated women in the WHI—who were not chosen for having low bone mass (in fact, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry [DXA] scores were not even recorded)—still had a statistically significant decrease in hip fracture as an adverse event when compared with placebo-treated women. Increasing data on the long-term safety of hormone therapy in menopausal patients will perhaps encourage its greater use from a bone health perspective.
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