Status of research on uterine fibroids (leiomyomata uteri) at the National Institutes of Health / compiled by the Office of Research on Women's Health, NIH, DHHS.

Format:

Book

Government document

Contributor:

National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Office of Research on Women's Health

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National Institutes of Health (U.S.) Office of Research on Women's Health.

Uterine fibroids--Research--United States.

Uterine fibroids.

Leiomyoma.

Research Support as Topic.

United States.

Medical Subjects:

National Institutes of Health (U.S.) Office of Research on Women's Health.

Leiomyoma.

Research Support as Topic.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

[Bethesda, Md.] : [National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health], [2006]

Summary:

Uterine fibroids (leiomyomata uteri) are the most common benign (non-cancerous) tumors that are present in the muscular wall of the uterus of women over 30 years of age and are more common in African American women (1-2). According to current textbooks of medicine, it is estimated that leiomyomas are present in 20-25 percent of reproductive age women but are 3 - 9 times more frequent in black than in white women (3). However, a recently completed epidemiological study of uterine fibroids by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (4) found that by age 50 the cumulative incidence of uterine fibroids was over 80 percent for African American women and about 70 percent for white women. These numbers are much higher than reported from medical records. The differences suggest that while many women have fibroids, not all have clinically symptomatic fibroids and seek medical care. Data suggests that large fibroids cause more symptoms than small fibroids, leading scientists to question what causes fibroids to grow and become clinically symptomatic.

Notes:

Caption title.

"March 2006."

Includes bibliographical references (page 10).

OCLC:

302345629