Physiology of thermoregulatory dysfunction and current approaches to the treatment of vasomotor symptoms.
Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), including hot flushes and night sweats, are the most common symptoms associated with menopause. Although the physiology of hot flushes is not fully defined, understanding the complex thermoregulatory circuitry that underlies VMS is important for the development of new therapies. This circuitry is composed of three distinct, yet interconnected, components: core body temperature, neurochemical messaging and peripheral vasculature. Evidence suggests that multiple physiological systems, including the neuroendocrine system, are important in the maintenance of thermoregulatory control. Causative roles of declining ovarian steroid levels in initiating thermoregulatory dysfunction are well documented. This paper reviews the physiology involved in the underlying thermoregulatory dysfunction that presumably causes VMS and discusses how this physiology relates to current and future VMS treatment options.
Deecher
Darlene C
DC
Women's Health Research Institute, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA. deeched@wyeth.com
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects; D014664:Vasodilation; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents