Hot Flushes

Hot flashes, or vasomotor symptoms, are abrupt, intense episodes of heat and perspiration, frequently accompanied by palpitations and anxiety. There is a growing tendency among women, with an average duration ranging from six months to several years. The frequency may vary from 10 occurrences daily to many incidences weekly. The length of hot flashes post-menopause is four years. A considerable percentage of women persist in experiencing them even after ten years. Predisposing factors encompass overweight or obesity, elevated BMI, poorer socioeconomic status, sedentary behaviour, tobacco use, and African American ethnicity. The etiopathogenesis of hot flashes remains ambiguous; nonetheless, it is thought to be induced by elevated plasma concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG), the principal metabolic product of cerebral norepinephrine. The decline of oestrogen and elevated norepinephrine levels may result in vasomotor symptoms during menopause. Hot flashes, often spelled as hot flushes, as it is like irrational feelings of sudden onset, transient episodes of heat and sweating, typically accompanied by feelings of palpitations and anxiety. These are collectively described as vasomotor symptoms (VMS) [1].