Study Links Hot Flashes to Endothelial Function

Hot flashes in younger midlife women may indicate a higher risk of heart disease, according to the results of a recent study.

Previous research has indicated that hot flashes may be associated with endothelial dysfunction.
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In order to investigate this association, researchers conducted a study of 272 women who either reported daily hot flashes or no hot flashes. None of the participants had cardiovascular disease, and all of the women underwent ambulatory physiologic hot flash and diary hot flash monitoring, as well as ultrasound measurement of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation.

Overall, they found that in women in the youngest tertile of participants (aged 40 to 53 years), the presence of hot flashes and more frequent psysiologic hot flashes were associated with lower flow-mediated dilation. However, these associations were not observed among older women (aged 54 to 60 years).

“Among younger midlife women, frequent hot flashes were associated with poorer endothelial function and may provide information about women's vascular status beyond cardiovascular disease risk factors and estradiol.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Thurston R, Change Y, Barinas-Mitchell E, et al. Physiologically assessed hot flashes and endothelial function among midlife women [published online April 10, 2017]. Menopause. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000857.