Sept 17 : A new study has revealed that hormone replacement therapy can provide relief to menopausal women who have nearly the double risk of developing respiratory diseases like asthma.

A previous study has found that rates of asthma were found to be nearly twice in menopausal women compared with normally menstruating women, resulting in falling oestrogen levels during and after the menopause.

Although the exact protective role of oestrogen is not clear, the findings reveal that women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may avoid some of the problems.

“Women who have not menstruated in more than six months have more respiratory symptoms and lower lung function,” Times Online quoted Francisco Gomez Real from the University of Bergen, Norway, who led the research, as saying.

“What is important now is that menopausal women are told by their doctors that they are at risk of deteriorating lung health,” Dr Gomez Real said.

The study involved more than 1,300 menopausal women aged between 45 and 55 from nine European countries and America.

The women filled a questionnaire about their respiratory health and menstrual cycle and were given practical assessments of their lung functions, including spirometric testing, which measures lung capacity. A total of 21 per cent were taking HRT.

Previous research, involving a larger proportion of older women, nearly half of whom who were taking HRT, has suggested that menopause actually reduced asthma.

“The findings suggest that the therapy could cancel out potential respiratory problems caused by less oestrogen,” Dr Gomez Real said.

He said that the latest findings were “just the beginning of the research”, and said that women should watch their weight, and stick to “an optimum weight with a body mass index of 25.”

The study will be published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. (ANI)