Page 48 - Prevention (February 2020)
P. 48
HEALTH
The Doctor Is In
Hot Flashes
and Your Heart
BY L AUREN STREICHER, M.D.
YOUR HEART ON
A HOT FLASH
very year, millions of Every time you have a hot flash,
perimenopausal and post- your heart rate and blood pres-
menopausal women dress sure increase. In other words,
Ein layers, carry portable hot flashes make your heart
fans, and tough it out because work harder. It also appears
they’re convinced that treating that they cause an inflamma-
hot flashes is dangerous. And tory response, which can
they may think, Oh well, these damage blood vessels. Add to
flashes won’t last long, and this a hot-flash-induced eleva-
even clothes-drenching ones tion of LDL (“bad” cholesterol),
never killed anyone. and it’s no wonder multiple
Here’s news: Hot flashes studies now show that women
last longer than was pre- who have hot flashes are far
viously thought—seven to more likely to have damaged
10 years on average. And blood vessels than those who
emerging evidence shows that don’t, even when other risk
they’re not harmless but may factors are considered.
be associated with poten- This new information may
tially life-threatening heart be surprising to women who
damage. In a 20-year study of were advised in 2002 to aban-
more than 3,000 menopausal don hormone therapy to avoid
women, those who had fre- an increased risk of blood
Dr. Streicher is quent or persistent hot flashes clots and stroke. That advice
a clinical professor had a dramatic increase in was based on the findings of ILLUSTRATION BY KATHRYN RATHKE.
of obstetrics
and gynecology factors associated with heart the Women’s Health Initiative
at Northwestern disease, which may explain (WHI), a large study started
University’s why stroke risk doubles in the specifically to determine
Feinberg School
of Medicine. 10 years after menopause. whether long-term hormone
44 PREVENTION.COM • F E B RUARY 2020
