Hormone Therapy Reduces Risk of Repeat Hip, Knee Surgeries

Hormone therapy can help reduce the risk of repeat hip and knee arthroplasties by as much as 40 percent, according to data from British researchers.

“We have shown that HT [hormone therapy] use for at least six months after primary arthroplasty is associated with a significant reduction in prosthesis failure of up to almost 40 percent after lower limb total joint arthroplasty,”the clinicians wrote. “HT for at least one year appeared related to further reduction in failure rates to about 50 percent of that in HT non-users.”

The researchers analyzed data from 2,700 HT users in the United Kingdom whose information was included in the General Practice Research Database and matched the statistics with 8,100 non-users who underwent a primary total knee arthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty from 1986 to 2006.

The patients were followed for a median of three and one-quarter years after primary arthroplasty, representing 43,481 person-years (32,845 non-HT users; 10,636 HT users).

The data showed HT use for at least six months led to a significant reduction in risk for asymptomatic failure (HR=0.62; 95 percent CI, 0.41-0.94). Similarly, HT use for at least one year was associated with further reductions in failure risk (HR=0.48; 95 percent CI, 0.29-0.78), clinicians reported.

More analysis of the data is needed before hormone therapy can be implemented into clinical practice.