Endometriosis is characterized as a progressive chronic condition by which tissues similar to those that line the uterus can grow outside the uterus. 10% of women of reproductive age are diagnosed with endometriosis, including 50% of women who experience infertility and 60% of women who suffer from pelvic pain. Regardless of the high prevalence in women, diagnosis delays and misdiagnoses are common. The etiology that predisposes women to endometriosis remains elusive at an annual cost of $49 billion in the U.S. healthcare system. Less commonly studied is the diagnosis of endometriosis occurrence in women with obesity. Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used indicator of health, and its relationship to endometriosis diagnosis is notable. For the purposes of this study, the data analysis of results from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was used to explore the relationship between BMI and endometriosis diagnosis. The BMI was calculated by trained professionals in mobile examination centers using participants’ weight in kilograms and height in meters. This value ranged from 12.3 to 86.2. The severity of the disease in women with higher BMI has not been assessed. This study aims to analyze nationally represented data from female participants of the National Health and Nutrition survey of all ages in the United States to establish the relationship BMI has on receiving an endometriosis diagnosis. The results of our study indicated that the onset of endometriosis is not contingent on a body mass index higher than the value of 25, which indicates an overweight individual. This result showcased that individuals with a high BMI who were told by a doctor they had endometriosis was not a significant dependent variable for their diagnosis. However, the self-reported data is not reliant on actual surgically confirmed endometriosis, where disease severity is objectively assessed. Furthermore, because the data is self-reported, the Incidence of more women with lower BMIs indicating the incidence of endometriosis could indicate women who are obese are not as commonly diagnosed and could very well have the disease. As someone pursuing public health and medicine, this study focuses on relevant issues in public health, including obesity, healthcare costs, and under diagnosis.
Author(s): Ridha Nazir, Public Health and Premedical Studies Major
Liz Clemens, Public Health Major
Advisor(s): Saruna Ghimire, Department of Sociology and Gerontology
You must be logged in to post a comment.