Spatial Analysis of the Distribution of Endometriosis in Northwestern Italy

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of endometriosis in a northwestern region of Italy. The potential sources of geographical variations in the incidence of endometriosis within the region are discussed. Methods: The patients selected were women between 18 and 45 years of age, born and residing in Piedmont who had undergone medical or surgical treatment for endometriosis between 2000 and 2005. The data were obtained from official hospital discharge records. Results: The number of women contributed to the study was 3,929. The age-standardized incidence rate of endometriosis was 81.8/100,000 patient-years (95% CI 79.1–84.2). The distribution of relative risks showed some areas with an increased rate of around 30% (southern and central Piedmont), while for other areas the disease risk was lower (southwestern Piedmont). These areas have greater exposure to environmental risk due to the presence of chemical pollutants. Conclusion: In order to achieve reliable data and good management of the disease, there is great need for national registers, as well as networks of excellence for the treatment of endometriosis. Our findings suggest that environmental factors may be associated with the development of the disease, but the observed results need to be cautiously interpreted in the context of ineligible biases.

Incidence and Estimated Prevalence of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis in Northeast Italy: A Data Linkage Study

“…In addition, many women are asymptomatic and some lesions might heal spontaneously without a diagnosis having been previously made. [ 5 – 7 ]…”

Risk factors associated with endometriosis among infertile Iranian women

“…According to these controversies about risk factors associated with endometriosis and the effect of race and infertility in this regard, we planned this study to survey the relation between endometriosis and these suggested risk factors and establish a practical model in infertile Iranian women referred to Royan Institute and the infertility clinic of Arash Women's Hospital, two of the major referral centers of infertility in Tehran, Iran. As it was shown, the spatial incidence of endometriosis in some regions may be different due to environmental risk and presence of chemical pollutants [11]; therefore we selected studied women from these referral infertility centers in Tehran, the capital of Iran.…”

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Incidence and Prevalence of Endometriosis

“…The main characteristics of the studies included in this review are shown in Table 1. The papers were published between 1989 and 2019 and originated from Norway [10], Denmark [11], the USA [12,16,19,20,25,26,33,35], Australia [13,14], Puerto Rico [15], Sweden [17], Japan [18], the UK [21,22], Israel [23], Germany [24], Iceland [27], Finland [28], Canada [29], Italy [30,32,34,36], and France [31]. The age of participating women varied in different studies from the minimal age of 10 years and older.…”

“…The age of participating women varied in different studies from the minimal age of 10 years and older. The diagnosis of endometriosis was established mostly based on the diagnostic codes of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) [17,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], self-reported data [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]18,19,35], and by surgery or image tests [33,36] or a combination of self-reported data and image tests [34].…”