Oral contraceptives and liver hemangioma: a case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
To study whether there is an epidemiological association between liver hemangiomas and oral contraception use, as may be suggested by clinical observations of liver hemangioma growth during pregnancy and under estrogen administration.


METHODS
A case-control study of 40 women with liver hemangiomas, as diagnosed by imaging studies [ultrasonography (US) or computed tomography (CT) and nuclear scan], and 109 age-matched control with normal studies. The women were interviewed with respect to their menstrual, reproductive and oral contraception use history.


RESULTS
The liver hemangioma and control groups did not differ significantly with regard to their menstrual or reproductive history. Ever oral contraception use was reported by 30% of the cases and 27% of controls. The odds ratio (OR) was 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52-2.60] for ever use, 1.64 (95% CI 0.37-7.13) for initiation before the age of 20, and 0.62 (95% CI 0.16-2.42) for use duration of less than 1 year. On the multivariate analysis only the women's age emerged as a predictor for liver hemangiomas (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.16-8.96).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study liver hemangiomas were not associated with menstrual, reproductive and oral contraception use history.
Gemer
Ofer
O
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel.
Moscovici
Oana
O
Ben-Horin
Clara L Dosoretz
CL
Linov
Lina
L
Peled
Ronit
R
Segal
Shmuel
S
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008572:Menarche; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D013997:Time Factors
D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral