Night Sweats

Q:  I am an 87-year-old woman and for quite some time I have been having "night sweats." Within an hour after retiring, I have to change the top of my night shirt and then every two hours all night. We are having hot weather, but I had this problem before the heat. I also break out in a sweat after a meal without exertion.

I have a heart condition and see my cardiologist every 6 weeks. He could not tell me the reason for these sweats. Could you? I read your column and trust your knowledge.

A:  I'm not sure I can give you the reason, but some possibilities come to mind. Your night sweats sound like classic hot flashes from estrogen deficiency. Although they are somewhat unusual this late in life, that is a potential cause.

Night sweats are also associated with some diseases like tuberculosis and lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system). Since you do have heart disease and the sweats occur after meals, I also wonder if they are related. We know that women may not have typical angina (chest pain), but may have abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, etc. when they do not have adequate coronary blood flow. Please ask your cardiologist about this.

Dr. Rebekah Wang-Cheng is a former Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her medical advice column, which answers health-related questions from readers, also appeared in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.