Scientists have discovered 14 gene variants linked to hot flushes, giving hope that it will lead to treatments other than hormone replacement therapy.
Around three-quarters of menopausal women suffer night sweats and hot flushes, which can keep sufferers awake through the night, draining their energy during the day. For some unlucky women, they can continue for decades through the menopause and into their eighties.
The study, published in the journal Menopause, offers the possibility of new treatments for hot flushes.
The best treatment currently available is HRT, to replace oestrogen lost during the menopause, but many women are reluctant to take it following disputed research linking it to breast cancer.
Principal investigator Dr Carolyn Crandall, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said: ‘If we can better identify what genetic variants are associated with hot flashes, this could lead to novel treatments to relieve them.’
Full story: Mail Online, 19 October 2016