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Endocrine Care: Åsa Tivesten, Johannes Hulthe, Karin Wallenfeldt, John Wikstrand, Claes Ohlsson, and Björn Fagerberg Circulating Estradiol Is an Independent Predictor of Progression of Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Middle-Aged Men J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006; 91: 4433-4437 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Endogenous Estradiol and Cardiovascular Disease in Men

Robert D. Abbott   (27 February 2007)

Endogenous Estradiol and Cardiovascular Disease in Men 27 February 2007
Robert D. Abbott, Professor of Biostatistics and Statistics University of Virginia School of Medicine Send letter to journal: Re: Endogenous Estradiol and Cardiovascular Disease in Men rda3e{at}virginia.edu Robert D. Abbott	The recent JCEM article by Tivesten et al. showing that elevated total and free estradiol concentrations in men predicted progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness provides important new findings and highlights the paucity of attention that has been given to the role of this topic (1). For your readers′ information, another recent study in Neurology (2) suggests that elevated levels of endogenous estradiol are also related to increased risk of stroke. In long-term follow-up of elderly men without previous stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer, baseline total estradiol levels ≥125 pmol/L were associated with a two-fold excess in incident stroke risk versus men whose estradiol levels were lower. Findings were similar for thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events, and persisted after adjustment for several concomitant risk factors. As noted by Tivesten et al., endogenous estradiol may be an overlooked risk factor for atherosclerosis in men (1). Our Neurology report supports this conclusion (2). References 1. Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, Wikstrand J, Ohlsson C, Fagerberg B. 2006. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endrocrinol Metab 91:4433-4437 2. Abbott RD, Launer LJ, Rodriguez BL, Ross GW, Wilson PWF, Masaki KH, Strozyk D, Curb JD, Yano K, Popper JS, Petrovitch H. 2007. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology 68:563-568