Increased alcohol consumption enhances risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas in reproductive-age women

Korea: A new study from Korea found that alcohol consumption has a deep impact on the incidence of uterine leiomyomas in women. The amount of alcohol consumed per drinking session and the sustainability of the habit over 2 years were significantly associated with the development of new-onset uterine leiomyomas. At the same time, quitting drinking lowered the risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas in early reproductive-age women. 

The most frequent benign tumors in women of reproductive age are uterine leiomyomas. Though they are benign, they have a significant impact on the everyday physical and mental well-being of women affecting their quality of life. They are rare before puberty and onset increases with age. Alcohol consumption is one of the non-communicable diseases that affect reproductive health. Research shows that increased alcohol consumption affects the risk of leiomyomas. The incidence of uterine leiomyomas has been linked in several research, although few studies specifically focus on Korean women. Hence researchers conducted a retrospective nationwide population-based cohort study to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas in Korean women of early reproductive age. 

Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, nearly 2,512,384 asymptomatic Korean women age

d 20 to 39 years who underwent a national health examination from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled in the study. The follow-up period was from the date of the first national health examination to the date of diagnosis of new-onset uterine leiomyomas or December 2018 if no uterine leiomyomas were detected. Uterine leiomyomas were diagnosed using 2 outpatient records within a year or 1 inpatient record of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes of uterine leiomyomas (D25) in the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Women with previously diagnosed uterine leiomyomas during the screening period or uterine leiomyoma diagnosis within 1 year of baseline examination were excluded from the study. The associations of alcohol consumption, amount drunk per drinking session, and sustained drinking over time were investigated with the risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas. 

Key findings: 

• After an average of 4.3 years, nearly 6.1% of women aged 20 to 39 years were diagnosed with uterine leiomyomas.
• There was an increased incidence of new-onset uterine leiomyomas of 12% to 16% with alcohol consumption. 
• Drinking ≥1 day per week was associated with an increased risk of uterine leiomyomas, and the association increased proportionately to the amount of alcohol consumed per drinking session.
• Sustained drinkers i.e. women who also reported alcohol consumption 2 years later (as admitted in the questionnaire) exhibited a 20% increased risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas compared with women who did not drink alcohol later (sustained nondrinkers).
• In women who discontinued drinking, the risk was 3%, whereas, in women who became drinkers, the risk was 14%. 

Thus, increased alcohol consumption increased the risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas in reproductive-age women. 

Further reading: Alcohol consumption and the risk of new-onset uterine leiomyomas: a nationwide population-based study in 2.5 million Korean women aged 20 to 39 years. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.03.041