Do Endometriosis & Gastrointestinal Disorders Share Genetic Link?

There are genetic risk factors shared by endometriosis and common gastrointestinal illnesses such as peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastric reflux disease (GORD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), highlighting the possibility that individuals with one ailment can also have the other.

This new research was conducted by University of Queensland researchers and published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine ().

Quiz on Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition that results in pain associated with menstrual cycle, sexual activity. It is also one of the causes of infertility. Test your knowledge on endometriosis by taking this ...

‘Women with endometriosis are twice as likely to have an IBS diagnosis compared to women without the disease and 1.4 times more likely to have a diagnosis of GORD. #endometriosis #gastrointestinaldisorder #geneticrisk #irritableboweldisease’

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Endometriosis is a severe condition affecting 1 in 7 women caused by tissue that resembles the uterus lining growing outside the uterus.

Professor Montgomery and Dr. Mortlock worked with Dr. Fei Yang from IMB and colleagues at UQ’s School of Public Health on genetic studies.

Shared Genetics Between Endometriosis & Gastrointestinal Diseases

“This genetic finding supports the clinical observation of an increased incidence of gastrointestinal disorders in women with endometriosis,” Professor Montgomery said.

“We hope that this study will raise more awareness about the overlap of these conditions.”

Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic painful disorder with endometrial tissue found at abnormal sites such as ovary and tubes. It causes pelvic pain and fertility issues.

“Sufferers can find it difficult to distinguish the source of their pain leading to confusion or misdiagnosis and years of delay in treatment during which time the endometriosis can progress to more severe disease,” Professor Montgomery said.

Endometriosis should be considered as a possible cause if a woman presents to her GP with abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Peptic Ulcer
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about Peptic Ulcer

“As our knowledge of risk factors for endometriosis increases, we hope to move closer to understanding how the disease develops and improve treatments and diagnosis,” he said.

Reference:

Evidence of shared genetic factors in the aetiology of gastrointestinal disorders and endometriosis and clinical implications for disease management - (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.20.22281201v1)

Source-Eurekalert

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and a fluctuating disturbance in defecation. IBS is not life-threatening.