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1 Oklahoma Center for Family Medicine Research, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla
2 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Okla
3 Private practice, North Providence, RI
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: James W. Mold, MD, MPH Oklahoma Center for Family Medicine Research, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Oklahoma, Health Sciences Center, 900 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, james-mold{at}ouhsc.edu
PURPOSE We wanted to estimate the prevalence of night sweats, day sweats, and hot flashes in older primary care patients and identify associated factors.
METHODS We undertook a cross-sectional study of patients older than 64 years recruited from the practices of 23 family physicians. Variables included sociodemographic information, health habits, chronic medical problems, symptoms, quality of life, and the degree to which patients were bothered by night sweats, daytime sweating, and hot flashes.
RESULTS Among the 795 patients, 10% reported being bothered by night sweats, 9% by day sweats, and 8% by hot flashes. Eighteen percent reported at least 1 of these symptoms. The 3 symptoms were strongly correlated. Factors associated with night sweats in the multivariate models were age (odds ratio [OR] 0.94/y; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89–0.98), fever (OR 12.60; 95% CI, 6.58–24.14), muscle cramps (OR 2.84; 95% CI, 1.53–5.24), numbness of hands and feet (OR 3.34; 95% CI, 1.92–5.81), impaired vision (OR 2.45; 95% CI, 1.41–4.27), and hearing loss (OR 1.84; 95% CI, 1.03–3.27). Day sweats were associated with fever (OR 4.10; 95% CI, 2.14–7.87), restless legs (OR 3.22; 95% CI, 1.76–5.89), lightheadedness (OR 2.24; 95% CI, 1.30–3.88), and diabetes (OR 2.19; 95% CI, 1.22–3.92). Hot flashes were associated with nonwhite race (OR 3.10; 95% CI, 1.60–5.98), fever (OR 3.98; 95% CI, 1.97–8.04), bone pain (OR 2.31; CI 95%: 1.30–4.08), impaired vision (OR 2.12; 95% CI, 1.19–3.79), and nervous spells (OR 1.87; 95% CI, 1.01–3.46). All 3 symptoms were associated with reduced quality of life.
CONCLUSION Many older patients are bothered by night sweats, day sweats, and hot flashes. Though these symptoms are similar and related, they have somewhat different associations with other variables. Clinical evaluation should include questions about febrile illnesses, sensory deficits, anxiety, depression, pain, muscle cramps, and restless legs syndrome.
Key Words: Night sweats • research design • practice-based research • aged • primary health care • hot flashes/epidemiology • quality of life
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  J. W. Mold, S. Goodrich, and W. Orr Associations Between Subjective Night Sweats and Sleep Study Findings J Am Board Fam Med, March 1, 2008; 21(2): 96 - 100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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 K. C. Stange In This Issue: Capacity for Caring and Generating New Knowledge Ann. Fam. Med, September 1, 2006; 4(5): 386 - 388. [Full Text] [PDF]
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J. W. Mold, J. H. Woolley, and Z. Nagykaldi Associations Between Night Sweats and Other Sleep Disturbances: An OKPRN Study. Ann. Fam. Med, September 1, 2006; 4(5): 423 - 426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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K. C. Stange In this Issue: The Patient-Clinician Relationship and Practice-Based Network Research Ann. Fam. Med, September 1, 2004; 2(5): 386 - 387. [Full Text] [PDF]
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