Vasomotor Symptoms in Women Tied to Higher Risk for CVD Events

Women with frequent or persistent vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during the menopause transition have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society, held from Sep. 25 to 28 in Chicago.

Rebecca C. Thurston, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues examined whether VMS correlated with incident CVD risk in 3,272 women (age 42 to 52 years) enrolled in the Women's Health Across the Nation study of the menopause transition. VMS and CVD were assessed annually via questionnaire and interview, respectively.

The researchers found that 231 women had a CVD event during follow-up. A correlation was noted for frequent baseline VMS with a higher risk for later CVD events (one to five days: hazard ratio, 1.05 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.47; P = 0.76]; at least six days: hazard ratio, 1.62 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.10 to 2.38; P = 0.01] relative to no VMS in multivariable analyses). The investigators observed correlations between more visits with frequent VMS over time and a higher risk for later CVD events (hazard ratio, 2.01 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.30 to 3.11; P = 0.002] relative to no VMS in multivariable analyses).

"This is the strongest test of whether hot flashes are associated with actual clinical CVD events, such as heart attacks and strokes, which represent the most clinically relevant outcome," Thurston said in a statement.

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