Hot Flashes linked to increased Cardiovascular Risk

Emerging data now suggests a direct link between hot flashes and cardiovascular disease, with a new study being the first to associate physiologically assessed hot flashes with elevated systemic inflammation—a known risk factor for heart disease. Approximately 70% of women going through midlife experience vasomotor symptoms, commonly referred to as hot flashes.

Previous research linking hot flashes to increased systemic inflammation relied on self-reported data regarding the frequency and severity of these episodes. However, self-reports have limitations, such as relying on memory and the potential for reporting biases. This new study, involving 276 participants from the MsHeart study, employed sternal skin conductance for a physiological assessment of hot flashes to investigate if more frequent physiologically assessed hot flashes were indeed linked to heightened systemic inflammation.

While significant increases in inflammatory markers often indicate acute infection or clinical disease, small and sustained elevations of inflammation markers within the physiologically normal range can predict future disease risk. Heightened levels of systemic inflammation have previously been associated with plaque development and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The study's results indicated that physiologically assessed hot flashes occurring during wakefulness were correlated with higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, even after adjusting for potential explanatory factors such as age, education, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and estradiol levels.

Reference: The Menopause Society

MEETING: 2023 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society