Hot waves

Description

Hot flashes are a feeling of heat that spreads throughout the body, with the most pronounced sensation in the head and neck area.< /strong>

These sensations are usually brief lasting from about 30 seconds to several minutes and are sometimes associated with reddening of the skin and/or sweating.

This condition is a common symptom of the body’s transition to menopause in women, but it is not seen in all women approaching menopause. Feelings of heat can occur as a result of some rare diseases.

What are the symptoms?

Hot flashes often begin to appear periodically before the menstrual changes suggestive of menopause have developed.

That’s why these hot sensations can appear years before the actual menopause. Hot flashes always appear as a feeling of warmth, but can be associated with other symptoms such as:

• An unpleasant diffuse sensation of heat throughout the body, which is best expressed in the head and neck area – this is the most characteristic manifestation of the condition.
• It is possible to there is redness or redness on the skin.
• Some women begin to sweat profusely, including at night;
• Palpitations – an unpleasant feeling of skipping or a strong beating of the heart, can sometimes be a concomitant phenomenon.
• Cold chills or shivering may appear after the warm wave;

Symptoms usually develop suddenly, with no preceding signs, and last less than a minute to several minutes.

What are the causes?

The exact causes are not known, but it is believed that the declining levels of estrogen during the transition of the female organism to menopause contribute to the appearance of hot sensations.

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Disturbances in the body’s thermoregulation are the cause of hot flashes, but the exact mechanism by which hormone levels affect the body’s heat regulation is not well understood.

Although hot sensations are usually associated with the onset of menopause in women, some rare clinical conditions can cause hot flashes and disturbances in the body’s ability to regulate its temperature.

An example of this is carcinoid syndrome, which occurs as a result of a type of endocrine tumor that stimulates the release of large amounts of the hormone serotonin. Also, hot sensations can occur as a side effect of some medicines, and sometimes they may be due to severe infections or malignancies.

Treatment for hot flashes

Some women report that exercise and relaxation techniques have helped them control their hot flashes, but controlled studies have failed to prove the benefit from such practices.

Keeping a cooler bedroom temperature and using cotton bedding can help relieve some symptoms related to the discomfort caused by hot flashes and night sweats.

The use of hormone replacement therapy with estrogens or a combination of estrogen and progesterone /progestin/ has proven its effectiveness over the years and leads to a significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.

However, multi-year studies of women on combined hormone therapy with estrogen and progesterone found an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer compared to women who did not use synthetic hormones .

Studies of women on estrogen therapy alone show that use of synthetic estrogen increases the risk of stroke but not heart attack and breast cancer. However, estrogen therapy alone is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer – the lining of the uterus.