Can Endothelial Function Divine the Benefit?
From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. Correspondence to Robert A. Vogel, MD, University of Maryland Hospital, Room S3B06, 22 S Greene St, Baltimore, MD 21201. E-mail RVOGEL@heart.ab.umd.edu Key Words: Editorials endothelium heart diseases hormones Coronary atherosclerosis is a prevalent, preventable, but slow disease. Demonstrating the clinical effect of an intervention requires at least 3 to 5 years, even in high-risk populations. Despite considerable supportive observational data, the value of hormone replacement therapy in the treatment of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women remains uncertain.1 2 3 4 It is therefore very attractive to look for intermediate biological outcomes that may more quickly predict the results of event trials. One intermediate biological outcome, the anatomic progression of coronary atherosclerosis, has been shown to correlate with the incidence of cardiovascular events.5
