China: Endometriosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Study

According to an article published in Rheumatology Journal, individuals with endometriosis are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was conducted by Yu-Hao Xue and the team.

Endometriosis may be caused by an autoimmune disease. There is no recognized link between endometriosis and RA. This study was done to see whether there was any proof of a link between the two.

This 13-year nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort research looked at the risk of RA in a group of endometriosis patients. Using data from the Taiwan National Health Research Institutes' Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, researchers examined the prevalence of RA among patients with endometriosis. Propensity scores were employed to match comorbidities in the two populations. The connection between endometriosis and RA among patients with various potential hazards was studied using Kaplan–Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model.

Key Findings

• Endometriosis [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.75], age 45 years (adjusted HR 1.50), and autoimmune disease (adjusted HR 6.99) were all associated with a significantly higher risk of RA.
• In patients aged 20 to 45 years, a diagnosis of endometriosis was linked to an elevated risk of RA (HR, 1.85), both with and without the use of hormonal medicines (HR, 1.76 and HR, 1.73 respectively).
• When stratified by age, comorbidities, and medication usage, the incidence of RA in individuals with endometriosis was similarly greater than in those without endometriosis, according to the findings.

In conclusion, patients with endometriosis had a greater risk of RA, according to this 14-year countrywide population-based retrospective cohort research. Rheumatologists should be especially aware of the possibility of underlying endometriosis in the clinical care of individuals with RA.

Reference

Yu-Hao Xue, Liang-Tian You, Hsin-Fu Ting, Yu-Wen Chen, Zi-Yun Sheng, Yi-Dong Xie, Yu-Hsun Wang, Jeng-Yuan Chiou, James Cheng-Chung Wei, Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis among patients with endometriosis: a nationwide population-based cohort study, Rheumatology, Volume 60, Issue 7, July 2021, Pages 3326–3333, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keaa784