Neutral effect of prolonged transdermal hormone therapy on liver function of postmenopausal women with chronic active hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE

To test whether transdermal hormone therapy can be safely administered to postmenopausal women with chronic viral hepatitis B and/or C.

DESIGN

Eighty-one postmenopausal women with chronic viral hepatitis B and/or C and with severe vasomotor symptoms were treated for 5 years with transdermal estradiol (50 microg/day) continuously and with transdermal norethisterone (250 microg/day) for 14 days of every 28-day cycle. Another 95 women with viral chronic hepatitis but without climacteric symptoms were used as controls. Liver enzymes (glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, gamma-glutamine-transferase, and alkaline phosphatase) were measured every year.

RESULTS

At baseline, liver enzymes were similar in the two groups, with the exception of gamma-GT, which was slightly higher in untreated women (P < 0.01). Liver enzymes did not significantly vary with time in hormone-treated and untreated women. No significant difference was observed between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Transdermal estradiol and norethisterone can be safely administered for a prolonged period to postmenopausal women with chronic viral B and/or C hepatitis.