Association of body mass index with severity of endometriosis in Korean women
Received 17 September 2008; received in revised form 17 October 2008; accepted 4 November 2008. published online 15 December 2008.
Abstract
Objective
To investigate the relationship between endometriosis severity and body mass index (BMI).
Methods
Of 481 women seen for endometriosis at a university hospital in Korea, 153 had stage I, 113 had stage II, 110 had stage III, and 105 had stage IV disease. The patients' BMIs were categorized according to World Health Organization criteria for Asian-Pacific populations.
Results
Women with early or mild endometriosis (stages I or II) had a significantly higher BMI than those with advanced disease (stages III or IV) (P<0.001). After adjusting for age, parity, and menstrual factors, an association between BMI and disease stage remained significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion
Women with advanced-stage endometriosis had lower BMIs than those with minimal or mild disease, and BMI was significantly associated with disease severity.
aDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
bDepartment of Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Corresponding author. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University Guro Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, 80, Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2626 1831; fax: +82 2 838 1560.
ABSTRACT