Effects of hormone replacement therapy on selected indices of immune function in postmenopausal women

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of long-term hormone r eplacement therapy (HRT) on selected indices of resting immune function in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women aged 54-66 were divided into two groups, those taking HRT (n = 17) and controls (n = 19). Blood samples wer e obtained and analyzed for mononuclear cell numbers, lymphocyte proliferat ion (LP) and natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC), There were no signi ficant differences between groups for mononuclear cell numbers. LP was sign ificantly higher for HRT, while NCMC was significantly lower for HRT, HRT i s currently being prescribed to postmenopausal women for prevention of a va riety of medical conditions including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease yet HRT is often associated with altered i mmune parameters. In this study, women taking HRT had increased lymphocyte blastogenesis and decreased NCMC compared to controls, Copyright (C) 2000 S . Karger AG, Basel.