Frontline: Oral estrogen and blood pressure; sleep problems and stroke risk; tinnitus
Oral Estrogen May Increase Blood Pressure
Estrogen is a hormone taken by some women to ease postmenopausal symptoms that include hot flashes and night sweats. Taking estrogen in pill form was associated with a higher risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) than estrogen delivered by other methods, according to a study published June 5, 2023, in Hypertension. The researchers analyzed health data from 112,240 women ages 45 and older who filled two or more prescriptions for estrogen-only hormone therapy. The women who took estrogen orally were more likely to have hypertension than the women who received estrogen from either a patch placed on the skin or a cream placed in the vagina. The longer the duration of usage and the higher the dosage of oral estrogen, the higher the risk of hypertension. Receiving estrogen either transdermally (via the skin) or vaginally in the lowest dose for the shortest time period was associated with the lowest risk of hypertension.
Sleep Problems Linked to Higher Stroke Risk
Getting poor-quality or inadequate sleep may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a study reported in Neurology, May 23, 2023. Among the 4,496 participants, about half had experienced a stroke. The participants who had suffered strokes were more than twice as likely as nonstroke participants to report sleeping less than five hours or more than nine hours, or to have snorting or breathing cessation while sleeping (common signs of sleep apnea) in the month prior to their stroke. Other symptoms of poor sleep, including difficulty getting or staying asleep, poor-quality sleep, unplanned or prolonged napping, and snoring, were also more common among stroke patients. The researchers noted that future trials are warranted to investigate whether interventions that improve sleep might play a role in preventing stroke.
New Treatment May Provide Relief from Tinnitus
Researchers may have found an effective treatment for tinnitus, described as a ringing, buzzing, clicking, or hissing in the ears that can range from mildly annoying to severely debilitating. A double-blind, randomized clinical trial included 99 participants with somatic tinnitus, a form in which movements such as clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead affect pitch and loudness of sounds. All participants received a portable device programmed to each person’s personal tinnitus spectrum; for active treatment, electrical stimulation was added to form a bi-sensory stimulus. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group received active treatment, while the second received sound-alone, or control, treatment. For the first six weeks, participants were instructed to use their devices for 30 minutes each day. The next six weeks gave participants in both groups a break from daily use, followed by six more weeks of the opposite treatment they received in the first six weeks. Participants who received the active treatment reported improved quality of life and reductions in tinnitus loudness, and more than 60 percent reported significantly reduced tinnitus symptoms.
The post Frontline: Oral estrogen and blood pressure; sleep problems and stroke risk; tinnitus appeared first on University Health News.
