title: The association between subclinical atherosclerosis and uterine fibroids.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the atherogenic hypothesis of uterine fibroids among Chinese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case-control study, 335 patients confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy surgery and 539 controls were enrolled between October 1, 2009 and April 1, 2012. Unconditional logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for the associations of subclinical atherogenic and cardiovascular risk parameters with uterine fibroids in the overall case group and hysterectomy-confirmed case group, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher level of ankle-brachial index (ABI) was independently associated with increased odds of uterine fibroids. The odds of UF among women in the highest tertile of ABI were 1.88 times higher (95%CI: 1.17, 3.02, Ptrend = 0.008) compared to those in the lowest tertile. The serum concentration of homocysteine was inversely related to fibroids (middle vs. low: OR 0.56, 95%CI: 0.36, 0.85; high vs. low: OR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.79; Ptrend = 0.002). In the hysterectomy-confirmed group, an inverse association was suggested between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and fibroids (OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.84, Ptrend = 0.014). Moreover, the effect of homocysteine concentration was not observed in this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that women with uterine fibroids might have an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis.
authors: International Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: He
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Zeng
authors: Xiaohui
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Baohua
authors: B
authors: Liu
authors: Peiyu
authors: P
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology