Endometriosis and body fat distribution.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association of body fat distribution with risk of endometriosis in an effort to determine whether a specific somatotype is related to the disease.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study of 88 laparoscopically confirmed cases of endometriosis, identified in a specialty gynecologic practice in western New York, and 88 age-matched friend controls. Data were collected by standardized personal interview, and body measurements were taken in a standardized fashion by one interviewer. Risk of endometriosis associated with body fat distribution, as expressed by waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratios, was assessed using logistic regression.


RESULTS
For women under 30 years of age (45 cases, 46 controls), endometriosis was inversely related to both waist-to-hip ratio (odds ratio 6.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.01-19.01) and waist-to-thigh ratio (odds ratio 3.64, 95% CI 1.23-10.78). This effect was not evident among women aged 30 years and older (43 cases, 42 controls).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest a specific somatotype with a predominance of peripheral body fat among women with endometriosis. This finding may provide information useful in both the diagnosis and understanding of the disease etiology.
McCann
S E
SE
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo.
Freudenheim
J L
JL
Darrow
S L
SL
Batt
R E
RE
Zielezny
M A
MA
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013008:Somatotypes