Hot Flash Research Tool for Broad Population Research Studies

描述(申请人提供)：这项工作的重点是探索与潮热相关的生理过程和治疗方法。该项目建议开发一种工具，供研究潮热的研究人员在广泛的人口研究中使用。年龄在45岁到54岁之间的美国女性中，大约80%的人会出现潮热，这是更年期的一个重要问题。通常表现为出汗、潮红和心跳加快的酷热时期，发作通常持续5到10分钟，但有报道称持续长达一个小时。这些事件经常发生在晚上，可能在任何地方重复发生，从每周几次到每天几十次。潮热不再仅仅限于育龄末期的妇女，现在影响到乳腺癌幸存者、化疗导致卵巢衰竭的妇女、卵巢切除妇女、正在接受促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH)激动剂如路普隆治疗的子宫内膜异位症或不孕症的妇女，以及正在接受雄激素剥夺疗法(ADT)的前列腺癌男性。潮热通常是破坏性的和令人不快的，会对工作责任、社会活动、睡眠等产生广泛的整体健康后果。尽管潮热疗法是一个活跃的研究领域，通常包括在广大人群中进行大型治疗试验，但对潮热的基本生理触发机制尚不清楚。这些研究需要对潮热现象的客观测量，该测量与自我报告的日记数据最佳相关，特定于潮热，并且在非卧床条件下是准确的。 与公共健康相关：拟议的项目为研究男性和女性潮热的研究人员开发了技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This work is focused on exploring the physiological processes and therapies associated with hot flashes. The project proposes to develop a tool for use by researchers studying hot flashes in broad population research studies. Hot flashes are experienced by approximately 80 percent of American women between the ages of 45 and 54 and are a significant concern during menopause. Typically expressed as a period of intense heat with sweating, flushing and rapid heartbeat, episodes usually last from five to ten minutes, but have been reported to last as long as an hour. These events frequently occur at night, and may be repeated anywhere from a few times per week to dozens of times per day. No longer relegated simply to women reaching the end of their child bearing years, hot flashes now affect breast cancer survivors, women with chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure, oopherectomized women, women being treated for endometriosis or infertility with gonadotropin- releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists such as Lupron, and men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Hot flashes are often disruptive and unpleasant, with broad overall health consequences affecting work responsibilities, social activities, sleep, etc. The fundamental physiological triggering mechanisms of hot flashes are not well understood although hot flash therapies are an area of active research often including large therapy trials in broad populations. These studies require an objective measure of the hot flash phenomenon that optimally correlates with self-reported diary data, is specific to hot flashes, and is accurate under ambulatory conditions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed project develops technology for researchers studying hot flashes in men and women.