Abstract

LEON TOIRAC, Emigdio José; TOIRAC UTRIA, Nerys Magdalena  and  NAVARRO DESPAIGNE, Daisy. Shortage of estrogen and immunity, a suggestive approach to the postmenopausal woman. Rev Cubana Endocrinol [online]. 2015, vol.26, n.3, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-2953.

Reduction in the estrogen concentration during the transition from the reproductive state to the postmenopausal condition, as an expression of female aging, accounts for the metabolic alterations occurring in different systems like the neurological and the immune ones among others. The timely detection of these clinical characteristics is a requirement for the comprehensive customized treatment of this group of women at regional and international levels. The impact of the decline in estrogen levels on the performance of the immune mechanisms of the postmenopausal woman was verified in the scientific literature. To this end, a literature review was made through the PubMed website of the National Medical Library of the United States to find the most updated open access specialized journals that dealt with the topic. Out of the 158 journals found, 42 were fully reviewed and over 50% of them were published in the last 5 years. There is some evidence that shows the association between ovarian senescence and the immune senescence. The immunosenescence means the changes occured in the innate immunity and the acquired immunity. These changes have been attributed to lack of estrogen because they may be reverted with the aid of an hormone replacement therapy. The estrogen shortage contribution to the decline in the immune function has not been yet solved. The level of knowledge in this field of biomedical research is still poor, which is confirmed by the low number of updated scientific publications. An accurate exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms triggering these phenomena would allow the comprehensive, effective diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of this population section.

Keywords : immunity; menopause; shortage of estrogen; senescence; postmenopausal women.

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