Menopausal Symptoms Could Predict Heart Disease

November 23rd, 2016

Hot flashes and night sweats are common, often unpleasant, symptoms of menopause. But they can be a sign of something more for women who have them earlier in life. Women who have menopausal symptoms—particularly hot flashes and night sweats—earlier in life have a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than women who have them later in life, according to research done by Rebecca Thurston, PhD, professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; associate professor of epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health; associate professor of psychology, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences; and professor of clinical and translational science. The research indicates that early onset of menopausal symptoms is associated with dysfunction of the endothelium, which is the lining of blood vessels. Endothelial dysfunction was measured by assessing flow-mediated dilation, a noninvasive ultrasound measure of how well the vessel dilates in response to pressure on the wall of the blood vessel. The findings could eventually lead to detection and treatment for women with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, which kills one in four women in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health.