Methods and Baseline Cardiovascular Data From the Early Versus Late Intervention Trial With Estradiol Testing the Menopausal Hormone Timing Hypothesis

Medscape

 Conclusions

The randomized trial data show that HT reduces the incidence of CHD and total mortality in young postmenopausal women (younger than 60 y) who initiate HT near menopause (< 10 y since menopause; ).^[1] These findings are consistent with the reductions in CHD and total mortality reported from observational studies, where most women initiated HT within 6 years of menopause.^[21,22] Although the cumulative literature is more than suggestive of this conclusion, no clinical trial has specifically tested the timing hypothesis with regard to CHD or cognitive outcomes. In this respect, ELITE is both timely and unique. During the past decade, the timing hypothesis pertaining to CHD has matured into a well-supported hypothesis awaiting more definitive study. For cognitive decline in the absence of dementia, the timing hypothesis remains of critical concern,^[34] although supportive data are less fully developed than for CHD. As postrandomization baseline data indicate, ELITE is well-positioned to test the timing hypothesis of HT in relation to atherosclerosis progression, CAD, and cognitive changes.