HORMONES AND THE CARDIOLOGIST

Cardiologists must become more involved in discussing and recommending hormone replacement in postmenopausal women with established coronary artery disease, and those individuals at high risk of coronary events . A large amount of epidemiologic and observational data, as well as n ew research in vascular biology, strongly support the benefits of estr ogen on the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. W hile breast and uterine cancer are valid concerns, selected high-risk women with and without established coronary disease should be counsele d by an informed cardiologist to consider hormone replacement therapy.