MedWire News: Older women who take oestrogen hormone replacement therapy may be increasing their risk of suffering from acid reflux symptoms, research suggests.

"Frequent symptoms of reflux, typically heartburn and regurgitation, are associated with an impaired health-related quality of life," explain Dr Helena Nordenstedt, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and team.

They add that previous studies have suggested that taking female hormones may increase the risk of reflux symptoms.

The team therefore studied reflux symptoms and the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy among more than 20,000 female twins living in Sweden.

In total, 4365 of the participants said that they suffered from regular reflux symptoms.

After accounting for body mass index, family history and smoking habits, analysis revealed that the use of oestrogen hormone replacement therapy by postmenopausal women was associated with 32% increased risk of reflux symptoms, compared with not taking this hormone.

However, women who took the synthetic female hormone progestin were no more likely to suffer reflux symptoms than those who had never taken hormone therapy.

The team also found no evidence to suggest that taking oral contraceptives, which contain female hormones, increased the risk of reflux symptoms.

Writing in an advance online publication by the journal Gastroenterology, Dr Nordenstedt and team conclude: "This nationwide Swedish population-based twin study provides evidence that use of postmenopausal oestrogen therapy is associated with an increased risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms."

They add: "The role of progestin hormone therapy, combined hormone therapy, and oral contraceptives is more uncertain."