Endometriosis and Fibroids Linked to Long-Term Premature Mortality Risk, finds research

Key Findings

Premature Death Incidence:

• Women with laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis had a crude incidence of 2.01 per 1000 person-years compared to 1.40 per 1000 person-years for those without endometriosis.

Hazard Ratios for Premature Mortality:

• Endometriosis was associated with a 19% higher risk of premature death in age-adjusted models (HR: 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.30), which increased to 31% after adjusting for behavioral factors (HR: 1.31; 95% CI, 1.20-1.44).

• There was no association between overall preterm mortality and uterine fibroids (HR: 1.03; 95% CI, 0.95-1.11) but a risk of 2.32 times of dying from gynecological cancers was found (HR: 2.32; 95% CI, 1.59-3.40).

Cause-Specific Mortality

• There was a significant increased risk of death from the following diseases in endometriosis:

• Malignant neoplasm of organs of the gynecological system: HR 2.76 (95% CI, 1.79-4.26).

• Diseases of the nervous system: HR 2.50 (95% CI, 1.40-4.44).

• Non-malignant respiratory diseases: HR 1.95 (95% CI, 1.11-3.41).

• Senility and ill-defined diseases: HR 1.80 (95% CI, 1.19-2.73).

Combined Conditions:

• Women with both endometriosis and fibroids had an increased risk of all-cause premature mortality, with differences in cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality.

This study points out that women with previous endometriosis and uterine fibroids have greater risks of premature mortality by gynecological cancers and non-cancer causes. Such a finding emphasizes the importance of viewing gynecological conditions under a holistic approach to improve long-term health outcomes.

Reference:

Wang, Y.-X., Farland, L. V., Gaskins, A. J., Wang, S., Terry, K. L., Rexrode, K. M., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Tamimi, R., Chavarro, J. E., & Missmer, S. A. (2024). Endometriosis and uterine fibroids and risk of premature mortality: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 387, e078797. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-078797