Hormone Combo Cuts High Blood Pressure In Women

A new hormonal therapy that combines the natural hormone estradiol with a synthetic one called drospirenone appears to be a useful treatment for high blood pressure in women who've passed menopause, according to results reported here at the American Society of Hypertension's annual scientific meeting. Lead researcher Dr. William White, from the University of Connecticut in Farmington, said that women assigned to the drug, which is marketed in Europe as Angeliq, experienced a much greater drop in blood pressure than women who received inactive "placebo." The study enrolled 212 women, between 45 and 80 years of age, with high blood pressure.