Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, race may influence uterine fibroid disparities
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Interactions between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and race may affect the elevated incidence of uterine fibroids among Black women, according to results presented here.
“Differential exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals by race, as well as the variable interactions between endocrine-disrupting chemicals exposure and race, may factor into the disproportionate incidence of uterine fibroids among Black women,” Gabriela Beroukhim, MD, a fourth-year hospital resident at Yale New Haven Hospital, and Pinar H. Kodaman, MD, PhD, associate professor of clinical obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, told Healio.
This large, population-based study included 3,399 participants who were of African and European ancestry and responded to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey asking whether a health professional had ever said they had uterine fibroids. In addition, 893 participants provided urine for measurement of triclosan and benzophenone-3 and 471 participants provided samples for four parabens and 15 phthalates measurements.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals levels were adjusted for urine creatinine and log transformed. Researchers assessed differences in endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure by race and analyzed associations between uterine fibroids and each chemical.
Black women had 2.28 higher adjusted odds of uterine fibroids compared with white women. For 47% of endocrine-disrupting chemicals evaluated, researchers observed a variation in mean urine concentration with race (P for all < .005, except mono-n-butyl phthalate, P = .02).
Among Black and white women, mono-2-ethyl-hexyl phthalate (P = .008) and mono-n-methyl phthalate (P = .015) were the most significant in tests for associations with uterine fibroids. In a multiple regression model, age, BMI, race, mono-benzyl phthalate, mono-n-methyl phthalate, mono-n-butyl phthalate and triclosan accounted for 32% of the uterine fibroid variance. Mono-n-methyl phthalate had the strongest effect, with 2.98 times higher odds of uterine fibrosis (P = .004).
Two interactions with mono-n-methyl phthalate and mono-benzyl phthalate were significant when analyzing for race-by-endocrine-disrupting chemical interactions (P < .01 for both). These interaction terms increased the variance by 19% when added to the original model.
“Future studies should consider interactions between race and suspected environmental risk factors for uterine fibroids,” Beroukhim said. “Further research is needed to examine the critical biological pathways through which endocrine-disrupting chemicals affect the pathophysiology of uterine fibroid development and the genetic variability in these pathways. Studies should also focus on the sources of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals to develop and establish strategies for prevention.”
Collapse
Beroukhim G, et al. Increased exposure to endocrine disruptors among Black women may lead to greater incidence of uterine fibroids. Presented at: ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo; Oct. 22-26, 2022; Anaheim, California.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts