NEWS

Hot flushes stroke link

WOMEN who suffer from hot flushes and night sweats after menopause are 70 per cent more likely to have a heart attack, angina or stroke.

New research from the University of Queensland (UQ) revealed women of any age who experience these symptoms, also known as vasomotor symptoms or VMS, are more likely to experience nonfatal cardiovascular events.

The risk increases by 40 per cent for women who have not yet gone through menopause.

School of Public Health PhD student Dr Dongshan Zhu said, until now, it was unclear whether VMS was associated with heart disease.

“But now we know it to be true,” Dr Zhu said.

Dr Zhu said the risk of cardiovascular events was more related to the severity of the hot flushes and night sweats rather than the frequency.