Body mass index in endometriosis.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies did not establish a clear correlation between the presence of endometriosis and the values of body mass index (BMI).


METHODS
The BMI of 366 women with endometriosis was compared to that of 248 controls undergoing laparoscopy because of benign gynaecological conditions. Significant differences at univariate analyses were confirmed by using Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to control for potential confounding variables.


RESULTS
BMI was significantly lower in women with endometriosis than in controls (p < 0.001); this difference was confirmed when the analysis was restricted to subjects with normal BMI (18.50-24.99 kg/m(2)) (p = 0.002). 4.8% of control subjects and no woman with endometriosis were obese. No significant difference was observed in the BMI of women with mild (revised classification of the American Fertility Society, rAFS I-II) and severe endometriosis (rAFS III-IV).


CONCLUSIONS
Women with endometriosis have lower BMI and are less frequently obese than control subjects. Further studies should investigate the physiopathological basis of decreased BMI in women with endometriosis.
Ferrero
Simone
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Martino Hospital, University of Genoa, Italy. chafika.mazouni@mail.ap-hm.fr
Anserini
Paola
P
Remorgida
Valentino
V
Ragni
Nicola
N
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010535:Laparoscopy; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome