RSS Feeds
Estrogen and Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
As one of Fuller Albright's students, I was gratified to read in the 1 July Annals [1, 2] that the value of estrogen replacement therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis, first reported by him to the Association of American Physicians over half a century ago [3] has been finally recognized. In 1973, we reported that estrogen reduced fractures in women with advanced osteoporosis as shown by roentgenographic and height measurements [4]. Androgens and anabolic steroids were less effective. A number of other beliefs about osteoporosis and hormone replacement therapy need to be clarified, such as the belief that only some postmenopausal women become osteoporotic. In my experience, 66% of women 60 to 69 years of age are below the fracture threshold, and at 70 to 79 years of age, 99% are at risk. Evidently, the number one risk factor is being an untreated, postmenopausal woman. The increase in bone mass with estrogen therapy, although small (about 6 to 10 mg/cc in the first few years after menopause), may prevent further fractures. The increase is identical with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate and also before and after 65 years of age. Although the 19-nortestosterone derivatives adversely affect lipid metabolism, medroxyprogesterone acetate and progesterone itself do not.
Furthermore, why are thousands of postmenopausal women taking calcium under the erroneous belief that they are being protected? It is essential that physicians implement hormone replacement at or beyond menopause to reduce the incidence of osteoporotic fractures and possibly also of coronary artery disease [5].
Gilbert S. Gordan
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
