Hot Flashes Tied to Heart Disease
Written By: Reuters Health
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Published - May 28, 2008
Hot flashes and other menopausal complaints are associated with risk factors for heart disease and stroke, researchers report in the journal Hypertension. This "could explain discrepant findings between observational research and trials" in regard to the use of hormone therapy, they suggest.
It has been hypothesized that women with hot flashes differ from those without regarding heart disease and stroke risk factors or their responses to hormone replacement therapy, write Dr. Gerrie-Cor M. Gast, of University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, and colleagues.
To investigate, the researchers studied a sample of 5,523 menopausal women. Questionnaires were used to collect data on menopausal complaints and the team measured cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and body mass index, a gauge of body weight for height.
Overall, 39 percent of women reported hot flashes and 38 percent reported night sweats. Further analysis showed that hot flashes were associated with higher cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Similar results were seen for complaints of night sweats.
"These findings should trigger further research," the authors conclude.
SOURCE: Hypertension, June 2008.