Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of transdermal 17 beta-oestradiol with oral progestogen on the plasma levels of lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in hypercholesterolaemic postmenopausal women.
Design: During 6 months of replacement therapy with transdermal 17 beta-oestradiol combined with oral progestogen, plasma lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins after 3 and 6 months were measured and compared with pretreatment values by Student's t-test.
Setting: From January 1992 until September 1992 patients were diagnosed and treated in an out-patient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw.
Subjects: The patients studied were 11 non-obese postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolaemia based on the World Health Organization criteria.
Interventions: Venous blood samples were obtained before and 3 and 6 months after the beginning of cyclic replacement therapy with transdermal 17 beta-oestradiol (E2 100 micrograms day-1 combined with oral chlormadinone acetate (2 mg day-1 for 7 days in each cycle).
Main outcome measures: The antiatherogenic effect of transdermal oestrogen replacement therapy exerted by increased levels of high-density lipoprotein subfraction 2 cholesterol (HDL2-C) leading to the decrease of the total cholesterol level was anticipated.
Results: After 6 months of the treatment the concentrations of HDL2 cholesterol (HDL2-C) increased from 0.45 +/- 0.07 mmol l-1 to 0.73 +/- 0.03 mol l-1 (P < 0.05) but the levels of HDL3 cholesterol (HDL3-C) decreased from 1.15 +/- 0.06 mmol l-1 to 0.89 +/- 0.07 mmol l-1 (P < 0.05). The concentrations of total cholesterol decreased from 6.9 +/- 0.13 mmol l-1 to 6.2 +/- 0.2 mmol l-1 (P < 0.05). No changes were observed in the plasma levels of total triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, VLDL triglycerides, apolipoproteins A-I and B.
Conclusions: In hypercholesterolaemic postmenopausal women, transdermally administered 17 beta-oestradiol 100 micrograms daily in combination with oral chlormadinone acetate has a beneficial effect through raising the level of the antiatherogenic HDL2-C subfraction and decreasing the level of total cholesterol.