Higher chances of heart disease have been reported among women who have endometriosis.
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Amanda Rupp | Apr 4, 2016

Higher chances of heart disease reported among women with endometriosis

The American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal recently reported that women who have endometriosis may have a significantly greater risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Endometriosis is an abnormal growth of tissue outside of the uterus. Typically, this tissue grows within the uterus.

The researchers have stated that the connection between endometriosis and coronary heart disease shows its greatest strength when the women are 40 years old or under.

“Women with endometriosis should be aware that they may be at higher risk for heart disease compared to women without endometriosis, and this increased risk may be highest when they are young,” Dr. Fan Mu, the study’s lead author and research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said.

The study involved records from 117,430 women who were part of the Nurses’ Health Study II. The researchers detected endometriosis through surgical examinations conducted among 11,903 women. Through a follow-up period of 20 years, the scientists discovered that women with endometriosis had a greater risk of developing various conditions compared to women without endometriosis.

These conditions include a heart attack, which is 1.52 times more likely along endometriosis patients. These patients are also 1.35 times more likely to need stenting or surgery to open arteries that are blocked, and 1.91 times more likely to develop chest pain, or angina.

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