Hormone Replacement Therapy and Risk of Severe Asthma Exacerbation in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: 17-Year National Cohort Study
Bright I. Nwaru, Syed Ahmar Shah, Holly Tibble, Rebecca Pillinger, Susannah McLean, Dermot Ryan, Hilary Critchley, Catherine M. Hawrylowicz, Colin R Simpson, Ireneous N Soyiri, Francis Appiagyei, David Price, Aziz Sheikh
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on clinical outcomes in menopausal women is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between use of HRT and severe asthma exacerbation in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with asthma. METHODS: We used the Optimum Patient Care Research Database, a population-based longitudinal primary care database in the United Kingdom, to construct a 17-year (January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016) cohort of perimenopausal and postmenopausal (46-70 years, N = 31,656) women. We defined use of HRT, its subtypes, and duration of HRT use. Severe asthma exacerbation was defined as an asthma-related hospitalization, emergency department visits due to asthma, and/or prescription of oral corticosteroids. Analyses were undertaken using multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression. RESULTS: ) and higher among smokers than nonsmokers. CONCLUSION: Use of HRT and subtypes, particularly previous, but not current, use and use for more than 2 years, is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma exacerbation in perimenopausal/postmenopausal women with established asthma. Lean women and smokers are at greater risk than heavier women and nonsmokers, respectively.