The benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may outweigh the risks if the woman has distressing menopausal symptoms or a premature menopause -- but no evidence exists to support a role for HRT in osteoporosis, heart disease, or Alzheimer's disease. This is the message of a consensus statement issued by a conference held in the United Kingdom this week.

The conference was convened by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh to clarify the use of HRT in clinical practice in response to growing concern about its safety. Results from several major trials published recently, including the million women study (16 August, p 359), have shown …