Hormone therapy in Brazilian postmenopausal women with chronic hepatitis C: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate liver function and hemostatic parameters in postmenopausal women who have chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus and climacteric symptoms and are undergoing hormone therapy (HT) (standard dose of transdermal continuous combined hormone therapy).

Design Fifty out of 336 postmenopausal patients with chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus were selected. The non-inclusion criteria were other chronic or systemic liver diseases, severe vascular diseases, autoimmune diseases or malignant tumors. The patients were randomized into two groups: the HT group with 25 patients to be given transdermal hormone therapy (50 μg estradiol plus 170 μg norethisterone/day) and the control group with the other 25 patients (no medication). Hepatic tests (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase, total alkaline phosphatase, albumin, serum bilirubin) and hemostatic parameters (prothrombin time, factor V, fibrinogen) were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 4, 7 and 9 months of treatment.

Results No significant changes in parameters were found in the comparison between the treated group and the controls, except for a decrease in total alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.002), presumably due to changes in bone remodelling.

Conclusions There were no changes in liver function after a 9-month treatment with transdermal estradiol plus norethisterone in symptomatic postmenopausal patients with hepatitis C.

Key words:

• MENOPAUSE
• HEPATITIS C
• LIVER FUNCTION
• ESTROGEN THERAPY
• ESTROGEN/PROGESTIN THERAPY

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Janssen-Cilag Brazil for supplying the medication and Rogerio Ruscitto do Prado for the statistical analysis.

Conflict of interest  Nil.

Source of funding  FAPESP and CAPES-Br, Brazil.