Diagnosis
Hot flashes are a subjective sensation in themselves and cannot be objectified. For a diagnosis, the cause of the hot flushes should therefore be found out. For this purpose, a detailed medical consultation is recommended in order to discuss the accompanying symptoms, the duration of the complaints and the habits of the person concerned.
Psychological stress in everyday life should also be investigated. Furthermore, the body’s metabolic and stress hormones can be checked: At this point we recommend our next article on this topic at Hot flushes without menopause
- The thyroid hormones are among the most common causes of sudden hot flushes.
- The hormones of the adrenal glands can also be checked if no cause could be found in the previous diagnosis. These include cortisol, sex hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. However, disorders of these hormones are much rarer and are therefore usually only considered after clarification or exclusion of the more common causes.
Treatment
The treatment of hot flushes naturally depends on the underlying cause. The trigger may be lifestyle or habits of the person affected, such as stress, alcohol or drug consumption. Correspondingly, the treatment should then be applied at this point: Stress reduction methods such as relaxation techniques or sports can help to improve hot flashes caused by stress.
Abstinence from alcohol, drugs or certain medicines can also provide relief. However, the doctor treating you should be consulted urgently, especially with regard to medication. Under no circumstances should you change the dosage schedule of a preparation on your own!
If hormonal causes can be proven, a drug therapy can help to reduce the production of stress or metabolic hormones: In the case of hyperthyroidism, for example, thyrostatic drugs reduce the thyroid hormones in the body so that the blood level of these hormones is back to normal. Such hormonal diseases are almost always chronic, so the intake of such drugs must be taken for life. If the symptoms are better, the preparations must not be discontinued.
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