G. Ceresini et al., The effects of transdermal estradiol on the response to mental stress in postmenopausal women: A randomized trial, AM J MED, 109(6), 2000, pp. 463-468
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
PURPOSE: Estrogens inhibit adrenomedullary catecholamine release and catech
olamine-mediated responses to stress. We examined whether estrogen suppleme
ntation reduces the sympathoadrenal response to mental stress in postmenopa
usal women.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the effects of 3-week treatment with tra
nsdermal 17-beta-estradiol and placebo in 10 postmenopausal women using a r
andomized, blinded, crossover design. We measured plasma catecholamine leve
ls and the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to a 15-minute stress wit
h mental arithmetic. Treatments were compared using repeated measures analy
sis of variance.
RESULTS: During placebo treatment, mean (+/- SD) epinephrine levels reached
a peak of 431 +/- 135 pmol/liter after 15 minutes of stress; the epinephri
ne response was blunted during estradiol treatment, with a peak of 357 +/-
77 pmol/liter (P <0.05). Estradiol also blunted the diastolic blood pressur
e response to stress (baseline levels of 78 +/- 15 mm Hg vs peak of 90 +/-
6 mm Hg during placebo; baseline of 80 +/- 8 mm Hg vs peak of 84 +/- 6 mm H
g during estradiol; P <0.05). Estradiol treatment also blunted the decrease
in the standard deviation of the mean of the electrocardiographic RR inter
vals and the increase in the ratio between the low-frequency and high-frequ
ency bandwidths.
CONCLUSION: We observed a moderate, although significant, reduction in mark
ers of the stress response to mental arithmetic in postmenopausal women tre
ated with transdermal 17-beta-estradiol. Am J Med. 2000;109:463-468. (C) 20
00 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.