Hot flushes, feelings of intense warmth with sweating and a racing heartbeat attributed to changing hormone levels, are a common and uncomfortable symptom of menopause. It is estimated that up to 80% of women experience hot flushes in the first year of menopause. For some women, the symptoms resolve within a few years, but for others, the symptoms persist and the reasons for this haven't been identified. In the April 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a group of doctors in San Francisco identified some factors that seem to be associated with the occurrence and persistence of hot flushes in post-menopausal women.

After analyzing data from over 3100 post-menopausal women enrolled in the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE), a clinical trial of osteoporosis treatment, the investigators found that the following factors were associated with baseline symptoms of hot flushes - less education, more recent menopause, previous estrogen use, and a history of hysterectomy. Higher body mass index, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, or 'good' cholesterol) levels, vaginal dryness, and trouble sleeping were also linked to hot flushes. Of these factors, more recent menopause and difficulty sleeping were the only ones linked to persistent symptoms. Interestingly, estrogen levels were not associated with the likelihood of experiencing hot flushes.

According to the authors of this study, identification of risk factors of hot flushes may help to guide evaluation and treatment of this common menopausal problem, especially since more than half of older post-menopausal women with hot flushes can be expected to have persistent discomfort after 3 years.