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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Medical Symptoms > Hot Flashes: Symptoms & Signs
      Category : Health Centers > Menopause

Hot Flashes

Alternate Names : Hot Flushes, Vasomotor Flushes

Hot Flashes | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Attribution


What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?

The hot flash can be short or last as long as 10 minutes. The average time is 4 minutes. As a woman ages and her estrogen level decreases, the number of hot flashes per day may increase. Symptoms of a hot flash include:

  • a feeling of pressure in the head that progresses into a flush
  • redness, warmth, and sweating on the face, neck, shoulders, and upper chest
  • fast or pounding heartbeat
  • sweating followed by a slight chill
  • sweating at night, which may cause sleep disorders
  • Less common symptoms include:

  • fatigue
  • faintness
  • a type of dizziness that may be worsened by movement and turning, called vertigo
  • panic attacks, which are a feeling of overwhelming anxiety or fear
  • an abnormal sensation or aura, which may precede the onset of the hot flash

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    Hot Flashes: Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

     

    Hot Flashes: Diagnosis & Tests

    Author: Eva Martin, MD
    Reviewer: Kathleen A. MacNaughton, RN, BSN
    Date Reviewed: 09/13/02









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    Page Last Updated: 30th May, 2006