Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2005 Feb;192(2):387-93.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2004.08.017.

Estrogen therapy and risk of cognitive decline: results from the Women's Estrogen for Stroke Trial (WEST)

Catherine M Viscoli  1 , Lawrence M Brass, Walter N Kernan, Philip M Sarrel, Samy Suissa, Ralph I Horwitz
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Estrogen therapy and risk of cognitive decline: results from the Women's Estrogen for Stroke Trial (WEST)

Catherine M Viscoli et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess whether estrogen therapy (ET) reduces the risk of cognitive decline in women with cerebrovascular disease.

Study design: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of estradiol 17beta versus placebo for secondary stroke prevention in 664 postmenopausal women with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 5 domain measures were obtained at baseline and exit.

Results: Among 461 women withdrawn alive without stroke, ET did not have a significant effect on cognitive measures after an average of 3 years (relative risk of MMSE decline: 0.74, 95% CI, 0.49-1.13). In women with normal MMSE at entry, estrogen was associated with less decline (relative risk, 0.46, 95% CI, 0.24-0.87).

Conclusion: In this study, estradiol did not have significant effects on cognitive measures. However, in women with normal function at baseline, there may be a benefit for ET in reducing the risk for cognitive decline.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types