1: Am J Hypertens. 2002 Aug;15(8):739-42. Related Articles, Links
Effect of estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen on blood pressure, plasma renin activity, and renal sodium excretion.
Stergiou GS, Zourbaki AS, Efstathiou SP, Stathopoulos GP, Keramopoulos AD, Mountokalakis TD.
Hypertension Center, Third University Department of Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, Athens, Greece.
[email protected]
BACKGROUND: Adjuvant treatment with the estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen is a well established long-term therapy in breast cancer. This study investigated the effect of tamoxifen on blood pressure (BP) and on factors by which it might be influenced. METHODS: Normotensive postmenopausal women on > 12 months adjuvant tamoxifen therapy were randomized to withdraw or continue tamoxifen for 6 weeks and then to crossover to the alternative regimen for a second 6-week period. Measurements of clinic and ambulatory BP, plasma renin activity (PRA), and fractional sodium excretion (FE(Na)) were performed at baseline and at the end of each study period. RESULTS: Twenty-three women completed the study (mean age 60.6 +/- 8.3 years). There was no effect of tamoxifen on clinic BP (mean difference between withdrawal and continuation for systolic BP, 0.4 +/- 8.4 mm Hg, 95% confidence interval [CI] -4.0 to 3.2, and diastolic 0.6 +/- 4.7, 95%CI -1.4 to 2.7) or 24-hour ambulatory BP (systolic 0.7 +/- 7.4 mmHg, 95%CI -2.6 to 3.9; diastolic BP, 1.9 +/- 5.5, 95% CI -0.5 to 4.2). Furthermore, no effect of tamoxifen on PRA (mean difference between withdrawal and continuation 0.03 +/- 0.5 ng/mL/h, 95% CI -0.3 to 0.2) or FENa (0.05 +/- 0.5, 95% CI -0.2 to 0.2) was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Tamoxifen seems to have no effect on BP, PRA, or FE(Na) in normotensive postmenopausal women.