April 28, 2011
Posted by Tim Darragh at 10:13:19 AM on April 28, 2011
University of Pennsylvania researchers have been looking at hot flashes and they're finding what many menopausal women know -- they can hang around a long time.
The most common ages at onset of "moderate to severe" hot flashes -- referred to in the study as "hot flushes" -- were 45 to 49 years, with median duration of 8.1 years, according to a Medscape News report of the study. African American women had a longer duration of hot flashes compared to white women, the study found.
"The median duration of hot flushes considerably exceeded the timeframe that is generally accepted in clinical practice," the study says.
The authors acknowledge that there are limitations to their study, so don't fret, pre-menopausal women. Research is not clear, but smoking and high body-mass index measurements may add to hot flashes, so if you're approaching or in middle age, there's another reason for kicking the habit and getting rid of those extra pounds.
ABOUT THE WRITERS
TIM DARRAGH has been reporting and editing the news for 30 years, most of it at The Morning Call. For much of that time, he's been doing award-winning investigative and in-depth reporting projects. Tim created the three-year-long Change of Heart project, and wrote a series on the state's fractured food inspection system that led to widespread improvements in food safety. Meantime, that novice jogger you see plodding along the streets around Bethlehem Township? That would be Tim.
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