Hot flashes related to high BP

Hot flashes might be related to high blood pressure, independent of menopausal status. Researchers from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, conducted a study in which ambulatory blood pressure monitors worn for 24 hours recorded awake and sleep blood pressure of 154 women, ranging in age from 18 to 65 years (with an average age of 46), with no previous cardiovascular disease and either mildly elevated or normal blood pressure. One third of the women reported having hot flashes within the past 2 weeks. The average values for systolic blood pressure (the top first number of the blood pressure reading) were significantly higher in the women who had experienced hot flashes compared with women who did not. This was true whether they were awake or asleep. In women with hot flashes, average systolic awake and sleep blood pressure was 141 and 129 mm Hg, respectively. These values were 132 and 119 mm Hg, respectively, for women not reporting hot flashes. Hot flashes continued to predict higher systolic awake and sleep systolic blood pressure after controlling for race, ethnicity, body mass index and even after adjusting for whether they were premenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal. More studies are needed, to determine if hot flashes cause high blood pressure or if they are related to one or more shared factors, such as an overactive sympathetic nervous system. If there is a causal relationship, then additional research to better understand the underlying this relationship may help identify treatment that can reduce the effect of hot flashes on blood pressure.