Biomedical subjects

M E Roncagliolo

Publications and source records attributed to M E Roncagliolo.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Do women using hormone replacement treatment have less pre-existing cardiovascular risk.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that women who choose to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) already, before starting this therapy, have a better cardiovascular risk profile than those who do not use it. Some of these studies contain factors of confusion and biases, such as HRT users' greater educational achievement or physical activity, which could have led to wrong conclusions. AIM: To study a cohort, without confounding factors in order to analyse whether the cardiovascular risk profile is different in women who choose to use HRT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Coronary risk factors of 387 women between 45 and 64 were studied. This study was carried out at the Unit for the Preventive Medical Examination of the South Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago (Chile) during the annual check-up. The first evaluation was in 1991-1992; with a second evaluation 5 years later. Of all the women, 174 (45%) never received hormones (Group A), 124 (32%) were HRT users at the time (Group B), and 89 (23%) were former-users (Group C). RESULTS: No differences were found between the three groups for age, body mass index (BMI), educational background, alcohol consumption, smoking or physical activity. Blood pressure was similar in the three groups. No significant differences were found in total cholesterol (A, 221.7+/-42.2; B, 228.2+/-47.0; and C, 227.3+/-44.9 mg/dl); high density lipoprotein (HDL, A, 53.5+/-13.2; B, 51.8+/-12.8; and C, 54.0+/-12.4 mg/dl); low density lipoprotein (LDL, A, 141.7+/-38.9; B, 148.5+/-43.1 and C, 148.3+/-43.8 mg/dl); triglycerides (A, 134.5+/-67.9; B, 141.0+/-66.1; and C, 127.3+/-68.5 mg/dl) and glucose plasma levels (A, 90.5+/-32.2; B, 87.7+/-15.3; and C, 85.0+/-8.8 mg/dl). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that women who choose to use HRT have a cardiovascular risk profile, before starting the therapy, similar to those who do not use it.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed1998

[Patterns of sexual behavior in Chilean women].

BACKGROUND: Sexuality has an individual connotation, is influenced by biological, environmental and cultural factors and is present throughout all life. AM: To assess the sexual behavior of a group of Chilean women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A specially devised inquiry was applied to 301 women, aged 20 to 70 years old, that consulted in a medical service. RESULTS: Seventy seven percent of women were sexually active. These figures ranged from 80% of women aged 40-44 years old to 40% of women over 60. Sixty percent of women living together, 53.7% of single women, 65.6% of divorced women, 94.2% of married women and 100% of widows were sexually active. Women aged 25 to 29 years old had a mean of 8.4 relations per month compared with 3.3 relations among women older than 55. The frequency of sexual intercourse was higher in women living together and lower in widows. The mean age at the first intercourse was 20.6 +/- 4.5 years. Ninety three percent had experienced sexual desire and the percentage of satisfactory sexual relations does not change with age. Less educated women had a lower frequency of orgasms. CONCLUSIONS: Age and legal status of women are related to their sexual behavior and less educated women have a less satisfactory sexual life.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

[Decrease of labor absenteeism associated with hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women].

Absenteeism affects efficiency and costs of health care. Most of health workers are middle age women, whose climacteric symptoms may reduce their work capacity working at a public hospital in Santiago during 1992. Fifty-eight percent were postmenopausal and 34.8% of these were receiving hormone replacement therapy. Global absenteeism rate was 17.1 days/year. These figures were 14.8 days/year for premenopausal and 17.8 days/year for postmenopausal women (NS). Among the latter, those women receiving hormone replacement therapy had a significantly lower absenteeism rate (9.4 days/year compared to 20.4 days/year among those not receiving hormones). Osteoarticular diseases were responsible for 44.3% and psychiatric diseases for 18.1% of sick leaves. No differences in absenteeism were observed between different professional levels. We conclude that hormone replacement therapy is associated with a better working capacity in postmenopausal women.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1994

[Double-blind method of the effect of menopause symptoms, lipid profile, and endometrial thickness of continuous therapy with estradiol valerate and medroxyprogesterone acetate].

Continuous combined therapy (CCT) using estrogens and progestagens has appeared as an alternative to avoid vaginal bleeding, which is characteristic of sequential hormone therapy, and the main reason for the stopping treatment. Irregular vaginal bleeding can occur at the beginning of treatment, but it has been observed that after a few months patients are in amenorrhea. Fifty postmenopausal women were studied in order to evaluate the clinical outcome. Half of them were treated with a product containing 2 mg estradiol valerate and 2.5 mg medroxiprogesterone acetate, while the other half received a placebo. Menopause symptomatology was recorded as described by Blatt-Kupperman, depression was evaluated with the use of Hamilton's test, lipid profile by enzymatic methods and endometrial thickness by transvaginal ultrasonography. Patients were evaluated at the beginning, third and sixth month of the study, following a double blind methodology. Symptomatology diminished both in patients under CCT and using placebo, although improvement was significantly greater in patient under CCT. Thus in the hormone treated group the Blatt-Kupperman score fell from 12.1 to 6.4 and 3.2 in the third and sixth month respectively, while in the group receiving placebo the score fell from 11.5 to 6.3 in the third month and raised to 7.4 in the sixth month. Hamilton's test showed a significant improvement of depression only in patients under hormone therapy. Nineteen out of twenty five women using CCT had vaginal bleeding, showing no changes in the endometrial thickness during the study. Finally, HDL-cholesterol was raised in 14.5% while LDL-cholesterol was lowered in 18.7% (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Double-Blind Method↗