This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Some CV risks doubled for diethylstilbestrol daughters
Women with prenatal exposure to the synthetic estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemical diethylstilbestrol are at increased risk for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction compared with women who were not exposed, study data show.
Rebecca Troisi, ScD, of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues evaluated data from the Diethylstilbestrol Combined Cohort Follow-up Study on 3,941 women exposed prenatally to diethylstilbestrol and 1,705 women who were not exposed to determine the effect of diethylstilbestrol on cardiovascular disease risk. Participants were followed from 1994 to 2013.
Participants completed questionnaires reporting on “serious medical conditions requiring hospitalization, surgery or long-term treatment” that included CAD, MI and stroke. Researchers confirmed self-reports through physicians; CVD deaths were confirmed through the National Death Index.
The risks for self-reported CAD (HR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.03-2.93) and MI (HR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.15-4.21) were approximately twice as high in exposed participants compared with participants who were not exposed; the risks for stroke and the combined CVD category were not increased. The HRs were not changed after adjustment for the participant’s own birth weight, gestational length or small for gestational age status. Results remained similar when hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes were included in the fully adjusted model.
“These data provide evidence of effects of prenatal [diethylstilbestrol] exposure on CAD and MI in adult women,” the researchers wrote. “Further research should address possible underlying biological mechanisms including differences in hormone and other biomarkers, as well as epigenetic patterns in adult offspring.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosures: The study was funded through contracts from the National Cancer Institute. The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.