(07-07-15) Women currently using menopausal hormone therapy twice as likely to develop lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Current users of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) are more than twice as likely than non-users to develop lower gastrointestinal bleeding and ischemic colitis, especially if they use the therapy for longer durations, according to a study at DDW, held in May in Washington, D.C. 
In the first study of its kind, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston conducted a prospective cohort survey of 73,863 women, comparing episodes of GI bleeding among current MHT users, past users, and those who never used it. In analyzing the possible link between MHT and GI bleeding, researchers adjusted for other known risk factors of GI bleeding, including body mass index, cigarette smoking, oral contraceptive use, and use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).  
The researchers found that current users of MHT have about a 50% increased risk of experiencing an episode of major GI bleeding, compared to individuals who have never been on this therapy. Additionally, current users were more than twice as likely to experience ischemic colitis and lower GI bleeding. However, there was no difference in the occurrence of upper GI bleeding between current users and those who never used MHT. Further, past users did not have a more significant risk of GI bleeding than those who never used MHT. 
Researchers also measured the correlation between major GI bleeding episodes and the treatment duration of MHT, and found that the longer the treatment is taken, the more likely the chance of a major GI bleed. Dr. Singh also noted that for MHT users, there was a higher risk of bleeding in the lower GI tract than in the upper, because there are fewer blood vessels supplying the lower, so clotting there has much greater impact.  
SOURCE: quotivadis.it

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