Cytologic aspects of the nasal respiratory epithelium in postmenopausal women treated with hormone therapy

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of hormone therapy (HT) on nasal respiratory epithelium in postmenopausal women. Design Prospective open clinical trial. Setting Outpatient menopausal clinic. Patient(s) One hundred three healthy postmenopausal women, of whom 55 treated with HT, and 48 untreated women (controls). Intervention(s) Different regimens of HT by patch, gel, or oral administration. Main outcomes measure(s) Cytologic changes of nasal, middle and inferior turbinate cells compared with vaginal cytologic findings by using the maturation index. Result(s) Hematoxylin–eosin staining for the maturation index confirmed similar trophic cytologic aspects between the nasal respiratory epithelium and vaginal smears in HT-treated women and controls. Women treated with sequential HT or estrogen therapy (ET) showed better trophic characteristics in the nasal cytological samples compared with women treated with continuous combined HT. Conclusion(s) Along with vaginal cells the nasal respiratory epithelium is an estrogen target. The activity of HT in the nasal respiratory epithelium may depend on the type of hormone regimen used.