Vasomotor Symptoms, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cardiovascular Risks

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), such as hot flushes and night sweats, are common during the menopausal transition. Although the underlying etiopathology behind vasomotor symptoms is not fully identified, they have been associated with an overdrive of the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn may result in altered vascular function, changes in blood pressure (BP) and lipids, and the development of insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of closely related risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD): elevated BP, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and central obesity. Thus, VMS and MetS share a common nominator, sympathetic overactivity. As of lately, due to these associations, the presence of VMS has gained interest as a possible risk factor for CVD. However, the results are mixed, and interpretation of findings is further complicated by the fact that some researchers distinguish between hot flushes and night sweats and others do not. In this chapter we present the most recent data on the possible relations between menopausal vasomotor symptoms, the components of metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.