ESTROGEN PATCHES FOR ARTHRITIS

Report #6148 3/14/94

Estrogen, given after the menopause, can help to prevent heart attacks, osteoporosis and hot flushes and a recent report in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases shows that it can also help to treat arthritis.

When you take estrogen by mouth, it goes to your stomach and intestines and is absorbed into your bloodstream and travels directly to your liver, where it causes the liver to increase its production of the good HDL cholesterol that helps to prevent heart attacks. However, only a small amount is released back into your bloodstream to affect other parts of your body. When you take estrogen by patch, it is absorbed into your bloodstream where it goes to your muscles and joints and can help to alleviate the pain. Another advantage of the estrogen patch was that it makes bones stronger in just one year.

This study shows that how a drug is administered can determine its benefits and side effects. For example, the male hormone, testosterone, lowers blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol and causes heart attacks when it is given by mouth, but raises blood levels of HDL and prevents heart attacks when it is given by patch.

Estrogen patches can help treat two major problems caused by arthritis: pain and lack of mobility in joints and weakening of bones. However, like estrogen pills, they can increase a woman's chances of developing uterine cancer unless progesterone pills are given also. So, the vast majority of women who have a uterus should also take progesterone pills when they take estrogen patches which are readily available by prescription.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News