Longitudinal influence of age, menopause, hormone replacement therapy,and other medications on parotid flow rates in healthy women

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent investigations have demonstrated that parotidsalivary dysfunction is not a normal process of aging, but may be theconsequence of systemic conditions and their treatment, includingmedications and menopause. The purpose of this study was to assesslongitudinally the influence of age, menopausal status, hormone replacementtherapy, and other medications on stimulated parotid flow rates (SPFRs) inhealthy women. METHODS: Medical diagnoses, menopausal status, medicationutilization, and 2% citric acid stimulated parotid salivas were collectedfrom 396 women, aged 21 to 96 years, from the Baltimore Longitudinal Studyof Aging (National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health) overa 17-year span by three investigators. RESULTS: There was no overalllongitudinal effect of time on SPFR. Age at first visit was a significantpredictor of a decrease in SPFR when adjusted for time and xerostomicmedications. However, the deleterious effect of taking one xerostomicmedication was equivalent to approximately 14 years of aging. Menopausalstatus and hormone replacement therapy were not consistently associatedwith diminished SPFR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that menopause andhormone replacement therapy are not associated with parotid salivarydysfunction. Aging may have a statistically significant yet smalldeleterious influence on SPFR; however, the adverse influence of xerostomicmedications is much larger.