Association of interleukin-8 with hot flashes in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women and bilateral oophorectomized women.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify serum cytokine concentrations in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women and bilateral oophorectomized women with hot flashes.
Methods: Serum concentrations of 17 cytokines were simultaneously measured using a multiplexed human cytokine assay in 129 premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women and 50 bilateral oophorectomized women.
Results: Serum IL-8 concentrations in midlife women and bilateral oophorectomized women with severe hot flashes were significantly higher than the concentrations in women without hot flashes and women with mild and moderate hot flashes. Serum macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta concentration in women with severe hot flashes was significantly higher than those in women without hot flashes and women with mild and moderate hot flashes.
Conclusion: Serum IL-8 concentrations in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women and bilateral oophorectomized women with hot flashes were significantly higher than those in women without hot flashes. IL-8 may be associated with peripheral vasodilation in women with hot flashes.