Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0600142 (hot flushes)
 1,242 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

As ageing progresses the levels of sex hormones decrease in the human body. In the male population, the decrease or absence of testosterone leads to decreased strength and stamina, thin bones and a low sex drive (1). In the female population, the immediate symptoms of menopause include irregular periods, painful sexual intercourse due to vaginal dryness, hot flushes and night sweats (2). Lack of oestrogen also leads to the risk of developing osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. In this report, the authors will mainly discuss the effects of hormone therapy (HT) in menopausal women. Available current clinical data on the effects of calcium supplementation with and without HT, exercise, exercise plus calcium and exercise with HT on bone loss are presented. The effects of transdermal and oral oestrogen therapy (OT) on serum lipids are discussed. Commercially-available HT products, their indications, dosages, contra-indications, side-effects and drug interactions are compared. Alternative therapies for menopausal symptoms with Chinese traditional herbs, and a comparison of the molecular structures of phytoestrogens with estradiol and diethylstilbestrol are examined (3, 4). A list of medicinal herbs and foods reported to elicit an oestrogenic response in animals is compiled.
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PMID:Hormone therapy and phytoestrogens. 880 47

Despite wide variation in the reporting of hot flashes and night sweats among menopausal women, what differentiates symptomatic from asymptomatic women is not well understood. In this article, we use longitudinal data from a large cohort of initially premenopausal women to address premenopausal factors predictive of length of the perimenopause, frequency of hot flash/night sweat (HF/NS) reporting, bothersomeness of HF/NS, and treatment seeking during menopause. The sample for analysis consists of 454 women from the Massachusetts Women's Health Study who were premenopausal at baseline and postmenopausal by the sixth and last study follow-up. Each of the four study outcomes was modeled as a function of premenopausal characteristics using logistic regression. Results confirm a wide range of symptom reporting, with 23% of women not reporting HF/NS at any of the six interviews. Variables related to greater frequency of HF/NS reporting included a longer perimenopause, more psychological and physical symptoms prior to menopause, lower education, and more negative attitudes toward menopause prior to menopause. Symptom bothersomeness was related to greater frequency of HF/NS reporting, smoking, and being divorced. Variables that predicted medical doctor consultation were greater frequency and bothersomeness of symptoms, higher education, and greater health care utilization. We conclude that general symptom reporting, attitudes toward menopause, and lifestyle factors can explain some of the individual variation in symptom reporting.
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PMID:Psychosocial, behavioral, and health factors related to menopause symptomatology. 933 53

Little is known about the long-term effects of adjuvant therapy on quality of life, sexual functioning and symptoms in breast cancer survivors. Between January 1996 and June 1997, we surveyed 1098 women who had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer between 1 and 5 years earlier. The breast cancer survivors were recruited in two large metropolitan centers in the USA. They completed a survey battery that contained standardized measures of health-related quality of life (HRQL), depression, body image, sexual functioning, and symptoms. A total of 1096 had usable responses for these analyses. In this sample, n = 356 had received tamoxifen (TAM) alone, n = 180 received chemotherapy (CHEM) alone, n = 395 received CHEM + TAM, and n = 265 received no adjuvant therapy (NO RX). There were significant differences in the mean age of each group, with the TAM group being the oldest (mean 62.6 years) and the CHEM group being the youngest (mean 46.8 years). Both age and time since diagnosis were controlled for in all statistical analyses. We found no significant differences in global quality of life among the four treatment groups. For the MOS-SF-36, there were no significant differences on the subscale scores except for the physical functioning subscale (p = 0.0002); the NO RX group had the highest functioning. There were no significant differences in depression scores among the four treatment groups. The MOS-SF-36 physical functioning composite score differed by treatment group (p = 0.012); the NO RX group had a physical functioning composite score that was at the mean for a normal healthy population of women, while those in the adjuvant treatment groups scored slightly lower. The mental health composite score was not significantly different among the four treatment groups and approximated scores from the normal population of healthy women. There were no differences in body image scores among the four treatment groups; however, sexual functioning scores did differ (p = 0.0078) with patients receiving chemotherapy (either alone or with tamoxifen) experiencing more problems. Hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal discharge differed by treatment (p = 0.0001); all symptoms were reported more often in breast cancer survivors on tamoxifen. Vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse also differed significantly by adjuvant treatment, occurring more often in survivors treated with chemotherapy. Overall, breast cancer survivors function at a high level, similar to healthy women without cancer. However, compared to survivors with no adjuvant therapy, those who received chemotherapy have significantly more sexual problems, and those treated with tamoxifen experience more vasomotor symptoms.
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PMID:Impact of different adjuvant therapy strategies on quality of life in breast cancer survivors. 992 75

Menopause is defined as the final menstruation, directly preceding the permanent cessation of ovarian follicular function. The transition from the reproductive to the non-reproductive phase of life can take many years, frequently characterised by perimenopausal cycle disorders, vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and night sweats) and urogenital complaints (vaginal dryness, micturition complaints). In addition to these typical climacteric symptoms other, more atypical symptoms can be present, such as tiredness, irritability and mood swings. Topical and systemic oral and transdermal HRTs are generally very effective as symptomatic treatment, but other non-hormonal options can also be considered.
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PMID:Menopause, HRT and menopausal symptoms. 1069 56

Most women in developed countries will live a third of their lives after the menopause. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, sleep disturbances, mood swings), and urogenital complications (atrophic vaginal irritation and dryness, dyspareunia) occur frequently during this period of life, but their severity and duration may vary widely between individuals. The menopause also induces accelerated bone loss and is the principal risk factor for osteoporosis. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT; estrogen or estrogen plus progestogen) alleviates these symptoms and can be administered orally, transdermally, topically, intranasally, or as subcutaneous implants. HRT is also effective for prevention and treatment of postmenosausal osteoporosis throughout the time that it is used. It is not surprising that HRT use has increased substantially during the past decade. Nevertheless, there are still considerable variations in use between different countries within the European community. This presentation will analyze: the frequency of menopausal symptoms among women in different European countries and the factors that influence them; the frequency of other postmenopausal women's health issues in Europe; the use of HRT in Europe as well as the type of HRT and its evolution during the last decade; and possible reasons explaining heterogeneity between countries.
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PMID:The menopause in Europe. 1083 Nov 88

A community-based survey was conducted during 1995-1997 of factors related to menopausal and other symptoms in a multi-racial/ethnic sample of 16,065 women aged 40-55 years. Each of seven sites comprising the Study of Women's Health across the Nation (SWAN) surveyed one of four minority populations and a Caucasian population. The largest adjusted prevalence odds ratios for all symptoms, particularly hot flashes or night sweats (odds ratios = 2.06-4.32), were for women who were peri- or postmenopausal. Most symptoms were reported least frequently by Japanese and Chinese (odds ratios = 0.47-0.67 compared with Caucasian) women. African-American women reported vasomotor symptoms and vaginal dryness more (odds ratios = 1.17-1.63) but urine leakage and difficulty sleeping less (odds ratios = 0.64-0.72) than Caucasians. Hispanic women reported urine leakage, vaginal dryness, heart pounding, and forgetfulness more (odds ratios = 1.22-1.85). Hot flashes or night sweats, urine leakage, and stiffness or soreness were associated with a high body mass index (odds ratios = 1.15-2.18 for women with a body mass index > or =27 vs. 19-26.9 kg/m2). Most symptoms were reported most frequently among women who had difficulty paying for basics (odds ratios = 1.15-2.05), who smoked (odds ratios = 1.21-1.78), and who rated themselves less physically active than other women their age (odds ratios = 1.24-2.33). These results suggest that lifestyle, menstrual status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affect symptoms in this age group.
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PMID:Relation of demographic and lifestyle factors to symptoms in a multi-racial/ethnic population of women 40-55 years of age. 1098 61

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether acute menopause symptoms experienced by women with breast cancer differed from those of women experiencing a natural menopause. For the study, 200 women younger than 65 years of age receiving adjuvant systemic treatment for breast cancer were invited to complete a self-report questionnaire incorporating a previously validated tool: the Greene Climacteric Scale. The control group consisted of 200 women 50 to 64 years of age who did not have a breast cancer diagnosis. An overall response rate of 59.5% was obtained. The majority of the respondents were peri- or postmenopause at the time of the study, reporting either "irregular periods" or "no periods." Findings demonstrated that women receiving adjuvant systemic breast cancer treatment were more likely than the control group to report a current experience of menopause symptoms. Women with breast cancer also reported a higher incidence and severity of specific menopause symptoms (tiredness, hot flushes, night sweats) than control subjects. These differences remained statistically significant when controls were used for potential confounding variables such as age, menopause status, and time since last period. Hot flushes ranked second only to tiredness as side effects attributed to cancer treatments. Because of the intimate and supportive nature of their role, nurses are in a key position to conduct future research relating to women's experiences of menopause symptoms and potential therapeutic interventions. Within the specific context of breast cancer care, oncology nurses are recognized as having a central role in informing and supporting women throughout the breast cancer trajectory. Thus they are ideally placed to address menopause as a particular survivorship issue.
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PMID:Acute menopause symptoms during adjuvant systemic treatment for breast cancer: a case-control study. 1112 22

The major biologically active circulating estrogen in both males and females is estradiol (E(2)). Circulating E(2) is a product of the ovarian granulosa cell and the testicular Leydig cell. Its gonadal formation is dependent on A-ring aromatization of its immediate precursor, testosterone, by a particular isoform of the enzyme aromatase, which also catalyses the conversion of the much weaker androgen, androstenedione, to the weak estrogen, estrone. E(2) is also formed in non-gonadal tissues, such as adipose tissue, liver, muscle and brain. Only adipose tissue makes significant extra-gonadal contributions to circulating estrogen. Loss of ovarian function during reproductive life, as a result of loss of gonadotropin secretion (secondary hypogonadism) or as a result of premature ovarian failure (generally defined as cessation of ovarian function prior to age 40), results in loss of the majority of circulating E(2) and of luteal progesterone. Loss of ovarian function at the menopause likewise results in a 90% loss of circulating E(2). The consequences of loss of ovarian function during reproductive life may be severe. Symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and dyspareunia, loss of libido, loss of bone mass with subsequent osteoporosis and abnormalities of cardiovascular function, including a substantial increase in the risk of ischemic heart disease. Various regimens of estrogen replacement have been employed, aiming to eliminate symptoms, restore well-being and avert the consequences of estrogen depletion. The commonly adopted form of replacement is with the low-dose oral contraceptive pill for reasons of convenience, cost, efficacy, general freedom from side effects and the psychological advantage that many of the patient's peer group are also "taking the pill". An often neglected aspect of hormone therapy in the reproductive age group is the therapeutic use of testosterone. The application of such principles to the postmenopausal period is more problematic, as there is a common perception that the menopause is a normal physiological occurrence and that it is therefore not physiological to offer hormone therapy at that time. The pragmatic approach is to recommend standard therapy with estrogen and progestogen for the management of menopausal symptoms and to recommend longer term hormone replacement in the light of the individual's needs and current data with regard to efficacy for protection from osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:Physiological principles of endocrine replacement: estrogen. 1178 92

The authors are sharing their experience in using a new medicine Livial (Organon) for the treatment of climacteric complaints. Twenty women have been included in the study. They have received one tablet of 2.5 mg Livial daily throughout four cycles of 28 days. All women report decrease of climacteric symptoms, especially hot flushes and night sweats. Only one of them had genital bleeding while using the drug. Twenty percent of the women reported adverse effects (breast tenderness and nausea), which turned out to be transitional. Conclusions concerning the usage of Livial in the treatment of climacteric complaints have been made.
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PMID:[Our experience in the treatment of climacteric complaints with Livial (Organon)]. 1180 63

This article analyzes physical symptoms experienced by mid-age Australian women in different stages of the menopause transition. A total of 8,623 women, aged 45 to 50 years in 1996, who participated the mid-age cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, completed Survey 1 in 1996 and Survey 2 in 1998. Women were assigned to 1 of 6 menopause groups according to their menopausal status at Surveys 1 and 2, and compared on symptoms experienced at Surveys 1 and 2, adjusted for lifestyle, behavioral and demographic factors. At Survey 1, the most commonly reported symptoms were headaches, back pain, stiff joints, tiredness, and difficulty sleeping. Perimenopausal women were more likely than premenopausal or postmenopausal women to report these symptoms. Hot flushes and night sweats were more common among postmenopausal women. Compared with those who remained premenopausal, women who were in the early stages of menopause or perimenopausal were more likely to report tiredness, stiff joints, difficulty sleeping, and hot flushes at Survey 2. Women who remained perimenopausal were also more likely to report back pain and leaking urine. Compared with premenopausal women, odds ratios for night sweats increased for women in consecutive stages of the menopause transition and remained high in the postmenopausal women.
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PMID:Changes in physical symptoms during the menopause transition. 1211 96


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