Effects of the hormone replacement therapy on arterial stiffness and hemodynamics in the perimenopausal women

Objective This study aimed to examine the effect of hormone replacement therapy on arterial stiffness and hemodynamics in the perimenopausal women. Methods Sixty perimenopausal women were recruited for the present cohort study among the patients visiting our menopause clinic. 30 women, who were prescribed to do the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from several months to 1 year, were investigated, together with another age-matched group (Control group) of 30 perimenopausal women without HRT. All participants underwent 2 serial carotid pulse wave velocity (PWV) and wall shear stress (WSS) assessments of the carotid artery at 1-year interval. Results Compared with the baseline value, there was no significant difference in PWV over 12 months between HRT and Control group, however, the WSS value increased significantly for both groups in 1 year (p < 0.05). After 1 year of the follow-up, the PWV at BS value was significantly lower in the HRT group than in the Control one (p < 0.05), but there was no significant statistical difference in the WSS value between two groups. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were independently correlated with the changes in PWV (p < 0.05). Conclusions The hormone replacement therapy appears to impact on the arterial stiffness without affecting hemodynamics in the perimenopausal women. The time-mediated influence on WSS seems to overrule the potential HRT-mediated influence, thus the change of WSS cannot be excluded. Further research is needed to understand clearly the mechanism underlying the obtained results.