title: Immunological aspects of endometriosis: a review.
abstract: Endometriosis is a common and serious illness affecting women in their reproductive years. Despite the ongoing interest and intensive research of this crippling disease, the cause remains unknown since its first description over 150 years ago. The origins and genesis of endometriosis, despite numerous hypotheses, are still unclear. One of the possible causes of the development of endometriosis might be the immune system, despite the fact that endometriosis is generally considered to be a steroid-sensitive disease. Numerous aspects of the immune system has been found changed, from the different number of activated macrophages to different subtypes of lymphocytes and their activities, suggesting involvement of immunity. On the other hand, it is possible that immunological changes around the endometriotic lesion are only secondary to the establishment of endometriosis. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge of immunological reactions in endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Karlovarska 48, Plzen 301 00, Czech Republic ; 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Alej Svobody 80, Plzen 301 66, Czech Republic ; 3 Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Plzen, Charles University, Plzen, Czech Republic ; 4 Department of Pathology, University of Louisville, 511 S. Floyd, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Králíčková
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Karlovarska 48, Plzen 301 00, Czech Republic ; 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Alej Svobody 80, Plzen 301 66, Czech Republic ; 3 Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Plzen, Charles University, Plzen, Czech Republic ; 4 Department of Pathology, University of Louisville, 511 S. Floyd, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
authors.forename: Vaclav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vetvicka
keywords: Endometriosis; cytokines; immunology; lymphocytes