Hormone therapy shows no significant effect on Alzheimer's biomarker changes in postmenopausal women

A randomized controlled trial examined the association of hormone therapy with changes in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's pathology in postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. Participants were randomized to receive estrogen alone, estrogen plus progestin, or placebo, with an average follow-up of 15 years. The study measured rates of change in multiple plasma biomarkers including p-tau217, p-tau181, Aβ42:Aβ40 ratio, GFAP, and NfL.

The main finding was that rates of change in these plasma biomarkers did not significantly differ between either hormone therapy group (estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin) and the placebo group. The study reported null associations for all biomarkers measured, with no significant differences detected over the long-term follow-up period. Specific effect sizes, absolute numbers, and p-values or confidence intervals were not reported in the available data.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported in the available information. The study's practice relevance indicates these null associations do not support either a protective or detrimental association of the tested hormone therapies with long-term changes in plasma Alzheimer's biomarkers. Limitations of the evidence include the lack of reported safety data, sample size information, and the inherent limitations of plasma biomarkers as surrogate measures of Alzheimer's pathology.