O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar possíveis relações entre a ocorrência dos fogachos e as oscilações da temperatura periférica, atividade motora e do humor. Participaram do protocolo 19 pacientes do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, separadas em 2 grupos: mulheres pós-menopausa com fogachos e mulheres pós-menopausa sem fogachos, mais o grupo controle. As variáveis coletadas foram: a atividade motora do braço, temperatura da pele do punho e ocorrência de fogachos. Encontramos ritmicidade circadiana significativa na ocorrência de fogachos em 5 voluntárias e ritmicidade infradiana significativa (períodos entre 7 e 14 dias) em 4 voluntárias. Observamos correlação positiva entre essa pontuação do questionário de cronotipo e a amplitude da curva ajustada do ritmo de temperatura punho e correlação positiva entre fogachos e a média da temperatura do punho. A média da temperatura do punho das mulheres com fogachos foi maior que a das mulheres sem fogachos e controles. Na população estudada demonstramos evidências de relações entre os episódios de fogachos e as oscilações da temperatura periférica, atividade motora. Não encontramos relações significativas entre a ocorrência de fogachos e variações dos estados de humor alegria e ansiedade.

In this study we evaluated possible correlations between peripheral (wrist) temperature, rest/activity and mood circadian rhythms and the occurrence of hot flashes in post-menopausal women. Nineteen patients from Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo had participated this study. The patients were separated in 2 groups: post-menopausal women with hot flashes (n=13) aged 55±4; postmenopausal women without hot flashes (n=6) with 59±1.51 years old, besides the control group (n=10) with 36±4 years old. The data collected were motor activity of the arm, peripheral (wrist skin) temperature and occurrence of episodes of hot flashes. Volunteers wore actimeters to collect motor activity data and wrist temperature along 30 consecutive days and filled sleep diaries and two visual analogue scales (anxiety and joy) for mood self-evaluations every three hours and during the hot flashes. All volunteers filled the chronotype questionnaire (QC). We found significant (p<0.05) circadian rhythmicity of hot flashes occurrence in 5 women and significant (p<0.05) infradian rhythmicity (periods between 7 and 14 days) in 4 women; positive correlation between QC scores and total number of hot flashes (r=0.424; p<0.05). We also observed positive correlation between the QC score and the amplitude of the fitted curve of peripheral temperature rhythm (r= 0.628; p<0.01) and positive correlation between total number of hot flashes and mean value of wrist temperature (r=0.505;p<0.05). The mean value of peripheral temperature of postmenopausal women with hot flashes was higher than that for post-menopausal women without hot flashes and control group (p<0.036, Kruskal-Wallis test). We found an increase (p< 0.001, Mann-Whitney test) in mean wrist temperature within 15 minutes of hot flashes. The occurrence of hot flashes tends to be concentrated between the evening and sleep onset for most of the women who referred hot flashes. We have demonstrated some evidences of relationships between episodes of hot flashes and the peripheral temperature and motor activity oscillations. We have not found significant relations between the occurrence of hot flashes and mood oscillations as measured for the states of anxiety and joy.