Differences in metabolic syndrome indicators by body mass index of women with endometriosis.
SoMi Park, ChaeWeon Chung
PMID 34469076WHAT IT FOUND
In 281,810 Korean women with endometriosis, abnormal waist circumference, high fasting sugar, and low HDL cholesterol all increased from 2009 to 2016, and every metabolic risk indicator became more common as BMI rose.
Key findings
01Among 281,810 women with endometriosis, abnormal waist circumference increased from 9.24% to 12.56%, elevated fasting blood sugar increased from 16.63% to 20.31%, and abnormally low HDL cholesterol increased from 19.85% to 25.51% from 2009 to 2016.
02The most common indicator of metabolic syndrome among women with endometriosis was abnormally low HDL cholesterol at 21.55%, followed by elevated fasting blood sugar at 17.55%, elevated blood pressure at 16.46%, elevated triglycerides at 11.93%, and abnormal waist circumference at 8.32%.
03The proportions of women with abnormal findings for all metabolic syndrome indicators increased significantly as BMI increased from underweight to obesity (p for trend < .001).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no comparison group of women without endometriosis, so the study cannot show that these metabolic indicators are different from women without endometriosis. The study was retrospective and used insurance claim codes and routine health screening data rather than direct clinical assessment. It did not test whether nurses or patients could change these indicators through education, diet, exercise, or lifestyle advice. The sample was limited to Korean women aged 15 through 49 with a coded endometriosis diagnosis, so it may not apply to other populations or women without a diagnosis.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that endometriosis causes metabolic syndrome or that treating endometriosis lowers metabolic risk. It was a retrospective analysis of women already diagnosed with endometriosis, with no comparison group and no intervention tested.