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Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used by women to relieve symptoms of the menopause, which usually occurs from around the age of 50 - Scottish Highers Human Biology - Question 7 - 2017
Question 7
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used by women to relieve symptoms of the menopause, which usually occurs from around the age of 50. A study was carried out int... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used by women to relieve symptoms of the menopause, which usually occurs from around the age of 50 - Scottish Highers Human Biology - Question 7 - 2017
Step 1
Describe two trends shown by the results for pulmonary embolism.
Answer
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The number of cases of pulmonary embolism in women given HRT increases with age; specifically, from 10 cases in the 50–59 age group to 30 cases in the 70–79 age group.
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In contrast, the number of cases in women given a placebo also increases with age, but at a slower rate compared to those taking HRT. For example, it goes from 5 cases in the 50–59 age group to 15 cases in the 70–79 age group.
Step 2
Explain why the results of the study support this conclusion.
Answer
The difference in cases between those taking HRT and those on a placebo is not large, especially in the context of the total sample size of 12,000 women. This indicates that the effects of HRT on coronary heart disease are minimal or not statistically significant.
Step 3
Step 4
Describe how the researchers attempted to make sure that the results of this study were reliable.
Answer
They used a large sample size of 12,000 women divided into three age groups. This large number increases the reliability of the results, reducing the potential impact of anomalies in smaller samples.
Step 5
Use data from the graph to describe the changes that occur in the average bone mass between the ages of 10 and 80.
Answer
Between the ages of 10 and 35, the average bone mass shows a marked increase, reaching its peak. After age 35, bone mass starts to decline gradually, particularly noticeable after age 60.
Step 6