General and medical factors associated with hormone replacement therapy among women attending menopause clinics in Italy

Authors
De Aloysio, D Di Donato, P Giulini, NA Modena, B Cicchetti, G Comitini, G Gentile, G Cristiani, P Careccia, A Esposito, E Gigli, C Mandruzzato, G Petraglia, F Bertelli, F Del Frate, G Garofalo, S Marino, L Costa, MR Quaranta, S Bossi, CM Amantea, P Omodei, U Vaccari, M Luerti, M Repetti, F Zandonini, G Raspagliesi, F Dolci, F Zacchi, V Bennici, S Polizzotti, G Bottino, S Raffaelli, F Minervini, C Colombo, D Belloni, C Viani, A Cecchini, G Winkler, S Samaja, BA Pasinetti, E Penotti, M Malanetto, C Massobrio, M Campagnoli, C Dolfin, G Tartaglino, P Mossotto, D Pesando, P Pacilli, L Rattazzi, PD Arisi, E Gamper, M Salvatores, D Bocchin, E Stellin, G Meli, G Azzini, V Tirozzi, F Buoso, G Fraioli, R Marsoni, V Cetera, C Sposetti, R Bellati, U Angeloni, C Buonerba, M Garzarelli, S Santilli, C Mucci, M Di Nisio, Q Falasca, L Ferrante, D Cirese, E Todaro, PA Romanini, C Spagnuolo, L Lanzone, A Donadio, C Fabiani, M Baldaccini, E Votano, S Serra, GB Bellardini, P Massacesi, L Donini, G Genazzani, RA Scarselli, G Curiel, P De Leo, V Melani, A D'Ancona, VL Giarre, G Di Gioia, E Ciccarelli, P Sarti, CD Balsotti, G Pupita, P Mincigrucci, M Spadafora, A Santeufemia, G D'Andrea, A Chiantera, A Montemagno, U Staiano, S Arienzo, R Pastore, AR Tamburrino, A Colacurci, A Izzo, S Zumpano, N Pascarella, A De Silvio, MG Di Prisco, L Lauda, N Sorrentino, O Agrimi, C Casarella, G Pisaturo, G Senatore, G Ruccia, G Fasolino, A Tropea, P Stigliano, CM Giannice, C Vadala, P Coco, A Lombardo, R Barese, G Masciari, G Pirillo, P Gioffre, T Ferruccio, C Agostinelli, D Tonti, GC Scopelliti, A Schonauer, S Bongiovanni, F Tinelli, F Poddi, ER Scarpello, F Colonna, L Fischetti, G Doria, R Trombetta, G Cocca, EB Carone, D Nocera, F Giambanco, V Giannola, C Graziano, R Mezzatesta, M Vegna, G Giannone, G Palumbo, G Cancellieri, F Mondo, A Cordopatri, A Carrubba, M Mazzola, V Ettore, G D'Asta, S Di Liberto, P Massacesi, A Chiantera, A Sarti, CD De Aloysio, P Omodei, U Ognissanti, F Campagnoli, C Penotti, M Gambacciani, A Graziottin, A Baldi, C Colacurci, N Tonti, GC Parazzini, F Chatenoud, L Chiaffarino, F
Citation
D. De Aloysio et al., General and medical factors associated with hormone replacement therapy among women attending menopause clinics in Italy, MENOPAUSE, 8(4), 2001, pp. 290-295
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Reproductive Medicine
Journal title
MENOPAUSE-THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MENOPAUSE SOCIETY
ISSN journal
10723714 → ACNP
Volume
8
Issue
4
Year of publication
2001
Pages
290 - 295
Database
ISI
SICI code
1072-3714(200107/08)8:4<290:GAMFAW>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze medical and general fa ctors associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use in women attend ing a network of menopause clinics in Italy. Design: Between 1997 and 1999, we conducted a large cross-sectional study o n the characteristics of women around menopause attending a network of firs t level outpatient menopause clinics for general counseling about menopause or treatment of menopausal symptoms. All women consecutively observed duri ng the study period at the participating centers were eligible for the stud y. A total of 42,464 women (mean age 54 years) entered the study. The chara cteristics of women who had at some time used HRT were compared with those of women who were never users. Results: Of the 42,464 women considered, 4,909 ( 11.6%) reported having use d HRT at some time. In comparison with premenopausal women, the odds ratio (OR) of HRT use was 2.1 and 4.0, respectively, in women with natural and su rgical menopause; the frequency of use tends to be lower in women with late r age at menopause. In comparison with women reporting primary school educa tion, the OR was 1.4 in women with a secondary or university degree. In com parison with nulliparity, the OR of HRT use was 0.7 (95% confidence interva l [CI] 0.6-0.7) in women with two or more births. HRT use was less frequent in women reporting a history of diabetes (OR 0.7, in comparison with women with no history, 95% CI 0.5-0.9) and cardiovascular diseases (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.8) and more frequent in women with a history of osteopenia/osteopo rosis (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5), but the latter finding was not statisticall y significant. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that HRT use is more common i n this population in women of higher education with early age at menopause and with a history of osteoporosis/osteopenia and less frequent in women wi th a history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.