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- $Unique_ID{BRK00664}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Can Men Can Get Hot Flashes?}
- $Subject{male menopause genitourinary hormone hormones hot flashes testicle
- sweating heart palpitations fainting flushed face neck chest hernia hernias}
- $Volume{J-22}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Can Men Can Get Hot Flashes?
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- QUESTION: There are times when I know that I am going through a change of
- life similar to the one my wife experienced. She just laughs and says that
- men can't get hot flashes any more than they can have babies. I maintain that
- men can get hot flashes too. What do you say?
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-
- ANSWER: They most certainly can. In both men and women hot flashes are
- caused by the decreased production of sex hormones. In women, hot flashes are
- controlled most often by the biological clock and begin when menopause sets
- in. In men, however, the biological clock does not play as much of a role.
- Hot flashes usually occur in men who have had a testicle removed, usually
- because of cancer.
- A report published in the Western Journal of Medicine said many men
- mistake the symptoms of hot flashes for those of heart attacks. The symptoms
- of hot flashes are intense sweating, heart palpitations, fainting spells, and
- a flushed color for the face, neck and chest. These are the same symptoms as
- women get, only women experience them in greater numbers than men.
- Typically men who experience hot flashes are middle-aged or older. Since
- this same group of men is at highest risk of heart attack, doctors should ask
- possible heart attack victims if they've ever had a testicle removed or had
- many hernia operations, which also can lead to hot flashes. Such an inquiry
- at the initial stages of treatment could help prevent a possible misdiagnoses.
- This may not be the cause of your particular episodes, but it seems likely to
- me that it is reasonable to believe that your experiences, while not as common
- as in women, may be experienced by many men, in modified forms.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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