Serum dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and endometriosis: a case-control study in Atlanta.
Endometriosis among women of reproductive age can result in pain and infertility. The objectives of this study were to test if there is a relation between endometriosis and serum dioxin concentrations as expressed by total toxic equivalence and serum total polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations among women patients at one Atlanta reproductive medicine clinic during 1998-1999; a secondary objective was to provide exposure data for individual congeners of these chemicals and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDE) in women in Atlanta. Laparoscopy including biopsy and visualization of the peritoneal cavity, ovaries, outside of the fallopian tubes and uterus confirmed all endometriosis cases (n=60) and confirmed 30 controls without endometriosis. Other controls had an infertile partner (n=27) or ovulation problems (n=7) with no signs or symptoms of endometriosis. All serum samples were analyzed at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2003. Statistical analyses included Fisher's exact chi-square tests and logistic regression. Models were presented for the full study sample and for the subset that included all cases (n=60) and only controls (n=30) with surgical confirmation of disease-free status. Serum concentrations (lipid-adjusted and non lipid-adjusted) of analyzed exposure measures were low and similar for cases and controls and did not explain endometriosis in the study population.
Niskar
Amanda S
AS
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. asniskar@gmail.com
Needham
Larry L
LL
Rubin
Carol
C
Turner
Wayman E
WE
Martin
Colleen A
CA
Patterson
Donald G
DG
Hasty
Lisa
L
Wong
Lee-Yang
LY
Marcus
Michele
M
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003710:Demography; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000097:blood; D004147:Dioxins / Q000097:blood*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016387:Women's Health
D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls