Post-menopausal women, who often suffer from joint pain, could find some long-term relief by taking estrogen-only medication, a new study has revealed.
|Last Updated: Mar 21, 2013, 04:30 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Washington: Post-menopausal women, who often suffer from joint pain, could find some long-term relief by taking estrogen-only medication, a new study has revealed.
Previous studies of estrogen`s influence on joint symptoms had produced mixed results, so researchers examined the findings of the Women`s Health Initiative (WHI), the largest-ever study of the use of hormonal therapy in post-menopausal women.
They examined the findings of the women enrolled in the Estrogen-Alone program, in which women who had undergone a hysterectomy received either estrogen or a placebo.
"We found that post-menopausal women who received estrogen-only medication reported significantly lower frequency of joint pain than women who received a placebo," Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, corresponding author of the study and a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute lead researcher said.
"Three to five percent more of the women receiving estrogen reported less joint pain than the women receiving a placebo," he said.
Among the 10,739 post-menopausal women enrolled in the Estrogen-alone program, 77 percent reported they had joint pain and 40 percent experienced swelling of their joints.
After one year of treatment, joint pain frequency was lower among women receiving estrogen-only medication when compared with the placebo group (76.3 percent vs. 79.2 percent).
After three years, in a subset of the women in the study, the participants who received estrogen continued to have joint pain less frequently than women who received a placebo (74.2 percent vs. 79.8 percent).
"These findings suggest estrogen may provide modest but sustained relief for post-menopausal women who suffer from joint pain," Dr. Chlebowski said.
The study is published online by the journal Menopause.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.