Background: Improvement in vascular endothelial function is widley cited as a beneficial effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are at increased cardiovascular risk and have impaired endothelial function. Any benefits of HRT on endothelial function in this group are of particular interest.
Objectives: We assessed effects on vascular function of oral 17beta oestradiol (1 mg) and norethisterone (0.5 mg) in postmenopausal women with T2DM.
Design: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
Assessments: Twenty-eight women had pulse wave velocity (PWV) and adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 assessed before and after three months' treatment. Twenty-four women also had gluteal fat biopsy for assessment of resistance vessel function (using wire myography).
Results: HRT did not affect PWV, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 or carbachol response. Effects of L-NAME and indomethacin on carbachol sensitivity were similar in both groups.
Conclusions: This HRT preparation had no detectable effect on these measures of endothelial function in women with T2DM.