Table 1. Characteristics of the participants by hot flash profiles.
| Parameters | Hot flash status | P-value | P-trend | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Mild | Moderate | Severe | |||
| n | 55 | 53 | 40 | 54 | ─ | ─ |
| Age†, years | 54 (53,56) | 53 (51,56) | 52.5 (50,57) | 53 (51,55) | 0.121 | 0.093 |
| MP_duration†, years | 3 (1,6) | 2 (1,5) | 3 (1,5) | 2.5 (1,6) | 0.651 | 0.638 |
| BMI†, kg/m2 | 22.9 (21.1,25.3) | 23.2 (21.4,25.1) | 23.1 (21.25,25.6) | 23.35 (21.6,25.4) | 0.793 | 0.489 |
| FSH†, mIU/mL | 65.2 (45.1,80.3) | 56 (33.2,70.8) | 58.75 (31.85,72.55) | 64.4 (39.9,80.4) | 0.140 | 0.844 |
| Estradiol, pg/mL | < 20 | < 20 | < 20 | < 20 | ─ | ─ |
| WBC‡, 103/ml | 5.4 (4.6,6.2) | 5.2 (4.4,6.7) | 5.55 (5,6.55) | 5.25 (4.5,6.5) | 0.561 | 0.749 |
| IFN-r‡, pg/ml | 3.76 (1.62,5.33) | 2.55 (0.99,5.1) | 3.03 (1.83,4.26) | 3.6 (1.86,5.52) | 0.138 | 0.271 |
| IL-17A‡, pg/ml | 1 (0.67,1.64) | 0.94 (0.58,1.28) | 0.9 (0.62,1.43) | 0.94 (0.67,1.77) | 0.206 | 0.215 |
| IL-1β‡, pg/ml | 0.65 (0.48,0.81) | 0.49 (0.39,0.75) | 0.59 (0.43,0.77) | 0.64 (0.48,0.81) | 0.164 | 0.484 |
| IL-6‡, pg/ml | 0.21 (0.12,0.32) | 0.17 (0.11,0.24) | 0.22 (0.15,0.33) | 0.25 (0.12,0.41) | 0.015 | 0.049 |
| IL-8‡, pg/ml | 0.69 (0.57,0.9) | 0.65 (0.56,0.95) | 0.88 (0.69,1.15) | 0.86 (0.64,1.62)* | 0.001 | <0.001 |
| TNF-α‡, pg/ml | 0.31 (0.15,0.44) | 0.22 (0.15,0.44) | 0.38 (0.23,0.55) | 0.31 (0.2,0.96) | 0.030 | 0.008 |
| IP-10‡, pg/ml | 319.98 (273,431) | 280.32 (243,368) | 340.26 (226,425) | 335.68 (252,534) | 0.200 | 0.359 |
| MCP-1‡, pg/ml | 269.23 (236,307) | 264.16 (216,300) | 268.08 (226,309) | 264.96 (228,315) | 0.619 | 0.521 |
| MIP-1β‡, pg/ml | 16.32 (11.28,23.33) | 15.49 (7.86,22.19) | 17.99 (11.15,26.68) | 21.93 (8.84,34.89) | 0.095 | 0.040 |
Data are presented as median (Q1, Q3). Statistical analysis was conducted by Kruskal-Wallis test (marked with †) or ANOVA test (marked with ‡) after logarithmic transformation to compare the mean/median differences between these groups of postmenopausal women with or without hot flashes.
Tukey’s post hoc tests were then performed to find significant differences between groups.
*, significant difference between severe hot-flash group and mild hot-flash group (P < 0.05), and between severe hot-flash group and non-hot flash group (P < 0.05).
Abbreviations: Q, quarter; Q1, 25th percentile; Q3, 75th percentile; MP_duration, menopause period since final menstrual period; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; BMI, body mass index; WBC, white blood cell; IFN-γ, interferon gamma; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; IL-1β, interleukin one beta; IL-6, interleukin 6; IL-8, interleukin 8; IL-17A, interleukin 17A; IP-10, interferon-inducible protein-10; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; MIP-1β, macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta.