Anthropometric Characteristics and Central Fat Deposition Markers Associated with Uterine Fibroids in Women; A Case-Control Study in Iran

Introduction: Uterine Fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign tumors of the uterus with an unknown etiology, affecting many women of reproductive age. Objectives: To evaluate the association between uterine fibroids and anthropometric features, central fat deposition and lipid profiles.Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 212 patients were enrolled. Study variables including weight, height, waist and hip circumflexes were measured for all individuals. For patients with UFs, the size, number and location of fibroids were also recorded. Also, subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat thicknesses were measured. Finally, the data were analyzed by the SPSS software.Results: The most common complaint was Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) in both groups. Most of the patients had a BMI of 25-30. There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the age and waist circumflex of the patients. Cholesterol levels were much higher in the case group. Only age and LDL-c levels in the case group were positively related to developing UFs, so that with ageing and increased levels of LDL-c, the likelihood of experiencing uterine fibroids rises to 10% and 1.1%, respectively. Also, there were no significant differences among the two groups regarding neither the Prepertoneal Fat Thickness (PFT) nor the Subcutaneous Fat Thickness (SFT).Conclusion: it is revealed that with aging and higher levels of LDL-c, the likelihood of developing UFs rises.

Keywords:

Uterine Fibroid , Subcutaneous and Preperitoneal Fat Thickness , Lipid Profile