Procoagulant state after raloxifene therapy in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of raloxifene on the hemostatic system in postmenopausal women. DESIGN A prospective longitudinal study. SETTING Outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. PATIENT(S) Sixteen postmenopausal women aged 56.8 +/- 5.9 years (mean +/- SD). INTERVENTION(S) Raloxifene hydrochloride (60 mg once daily) was administered orally for a period of 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Plasma activities of coagulation factors (II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, and fibrinogen), prothrombin-derived fragment 1+2, and activated protein C (APC) sensitivity ratio were measured at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment. RESULT(S) Factor VIII activity increased by 17.1% and 26.9% at 3 and 6 months of treatment, respectively, compared with baseline. Factor XI and FXII activities significantly increased by 10.9% and 43.1%, respectively, after 6 months compared with baseline. A significant reduction of APC sensitivity ratio also was observed after 6 months of treatment. CONCLUSION(S) A procoagulant state characterized by increased factor VIII, XI, and XII plasma levels and by reduced APC sensitivity was observed after raloxifene therapy in post-menopausal women.