High level of plasma estradiol as a new predictor of ischemic arterial disease in older postmenopausal women: the three-city cohort study.

Background Despite evidence that estrogens may be involved in atherothrombosis, the role of endogenous sex steroid hormones in ischemic arterial disease among postmenopausal women remains uncertain. Methods and Results In the Three‐City prospective cohort study of subjects (n=9294) >65 years of age, we investigated the association of total 17β‐estradiol, bioavailable 17β‐estradiol, and total testosterone with the 4‐year incidence of ischemic arterial disease among postmenopausal women who did not use any hormone therapy. We designed a case–cohort study including a random sample of 537 subjects and 106 incident cases of first cardiovascular events. Weighted Cox proportional‐hazards model…