Menopausal hot flashes: Mechanisms, endocrinology, treatment

Hot flashes (HFs) are a rapid and exaggerated heat dissipation response, consisting of profuse sweating, peripheral vasodilation, and feelings of intense, internal heat. They are triggered by small elevations in core body temperature (Tc) acting within a greatly reduced thermoneutral zone, i.e., the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology Vol. 142; pp. 115 - 120
Main Author: Freedman, Robert R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2014
Subjects:
Adult
Body Temperature Regulation - physiology
Circadian Rhythm
Clonidine - therapeutic use
Estrogen Replacement Therapy
Female
Hot flashes
Hot Flashes - physiopathology
Hot Flashes - therapy
Humans
Menopause
Menopause - physiology
Middle Aged
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Sleep
Sleep - physiology
Sweating
Thermoregulation
Thermoregulation
Sleep
Menopause
Hot flashes
ISSN:0960-0760, 1879-1220, 1879-1220
Online Access:Get full text
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Description
Summary:Hot flashes (HFs) are a rapid and exaggerated heat dissipation response, consisting of profuse sweating, peripheral vasodilation, and feelings of intense, internal heat. They are triggered by small elevations in core body temperature (Tc) acting within a greatly reduced thermoneutral zone, i.e., the Tc region between the upper (sweating) and lower (shivering) thresholds. This is due in part, but not entirely, to estrogen depletion at menopause. Elevated central sympathetic activation, mediated through α2-adrenergic receptors, is one factor responsible for narrowing of the thermoneutral zone. Procedures which reduce this activation, such as paced respiration and clonidine administration, ameliorate HFs as will peripheral cooling. HFs are responsible for some, but not all, of the sleep disturbance reported during menopause. Recent work calls into question the role of serotonin in HFs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Menopause’.
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ISSN:0960-0760
1879-1220
1879-1220
DOI:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2013.08.010