Endometriosis in Italy: From cost estimates to new medical treatment

Stefano Luisi, Lucia Lazzeri, Ciani V, Valentina Ciani, Felice Petraglia, Petraglia F
Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology · 2009 · vol. 25(11) , pp. 734–740 · doi:10.3109/09513590903159664 · PMID:19908951 · W1976390760
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In Italy, endometriosis affects ~3 million women, predominantly reproductive-aged, causing significant symptom burden and healthcare costs, with diagnosis delayed and various medical treatments available.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, which induced a chronic inflammatory reaction. The data collected from Italy showed that around 3 million women are affected by endoemtriosis and the condition was predominantly found in women of reproductive age (50% of women were in the 29-39 age range), only 25% of women were asymptomatic. The associated symptoms can create an impact in general physical, mental, and social well-being. Endometriosis is associated with severe dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, ovulation pain, cyclical, or perimenstrual symptoms, with or without abnormal bleeding, infertility, and chronic fatigue. The annual cost for hospital admission can be estimated to be in a total around 54 million euros. The average time for right diagnosis is around 9 years still today and it follows a long and expensive diagnostic search. Therapies can be useful to relieve and sometimes solve the symptoms, encourage fertility, eliminate endometrial lesions, and restore the anatomy of the pelvis. For medical therapy, several different preparations (oral contraceptives, progestogenics, gestrinone, danazol, and GnRHa) and new options (GnRH antagonists, aromatase inhibitors, estrogen receptor beta agoinist, progesterone receptor modulators, angiogenesis inhibitors, and COX-2 selective inhibitors) are available.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrheadyspareuniainfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Health Care Costs Adult Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Humans Italy Italy Laparoscopy Pelvic Pain Quality of Life

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (42)

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