ABSTRACT
Introduction 436 Hormone replacement and risk for coronary heart disease 436 Hormone replacement and risk for stroke 442 Hormone replacement and risk for venous
thromboembolism 445
Selective estrogen receptor modulators and cardiovascular risk 448
Recommendations and future research directions 449 Acknowledgment 449 References 450
Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death for women in developing countries. Coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke kill twice as many women as all cancers combined. Moreover, women are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than men.1 Despite this growing epidemic, the incidence of CHD remains substantially lower in women than in men of the same age. These sexrelated differences in CHD have not been adequately explained in terms of lifestyle or traditional risk factors, and it is generally believed that women are protected by female sex hormones.
