Vasomotor symptoms in menopause: a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and other chronic diseases?

Abstract

Menopausal disorders may include shorter-term symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (vasomotor symptoms, VMS) and longer-term chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis, and cognitive impairment. Initially, no clear link between the shorter-term symptoms and longer-term chronic conditions was evident and these disorders seemed to occur independently from each other. However, there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that VMS may be a biomarker for chronic disease. In this review, the association between VMS and a range of chronic postmenopausal conditions including CVD, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline is discussed. Prevention of CVD in women, as for men, should be started early, and effective management of chronic disease in postmenopausal women has to start with the awareness that VMS during menopause are harbingers of things to come and should be treated accordingly.

Keywords:

• Menopause
• hot flushes
• cardiovascular disease
• vasomotor symptoms
• biomarker
• chronic disease

Acknowledgements

Editorial assistance for the preparation of this manuscript was provided by Editamed. This assistance was funded by MSD Italy, who had no role in drafting or reviewing the paper, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. All views expressed are solely those of the authors.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Source of funding

Editorial assistance for the preparation of this manuscript was funded by MSD Italy.