Victor W. Henderson

Hormone therapy and Alzheimer disease: an evidence based approach to clinical management.

Henderson VW, Female Patient. 2004; 29 (12): 17-22

Goal: To present evidence based clinical recommendations for menopausal/postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) with regard to Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk and treatment. Conclusions: Current evidence does not support the use of HT to treat or prevent AD. The primary indication for systemic HT is the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with the menopause. In this setting, treatment is usually of relatively short duration and prescribed to women who are generally younger than participants in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, where HT was shown to increase dementia incidence. The absolute risk of AD is low for women in this age group. Use of HT should be consistent with individual treatment goals, expected benefits, and likely risks.