ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease, and in particular cardiac ischemia, is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women 1 . Estrogen deficiency after the menopause is the single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women 2 . Estrogen replacement therapy to postmenopausal women, on the other hand, significantly decreases the relative risks of cardiovascular disease and coronary artery heart disease, suggesting that estrogens directly affect the heart and confer a certain degree of protection 3 . Recent epidemiological studies have supported this hypothesis, and as a result, research has been focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms related to estrogen action on target organs including the heart and its vasculature. The objective of this review is to outline the existing data, and to emphasize their importance for the understanding of cardiac function vis-a-vis estrogen deficiency, and the role of estrogen replacement in cardio-protection.
