Evaluating hematological parameters in women with endometriosis

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the level of hematological parameters and the presence and stage of endometriosis. We included medical records of patients diagnosed with endometriosis (endometriosis group) and patients diagnosed with benign non-endometriotic ovarian masses (control group), who were eligible based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and compared the preoperative level of hematological parameters between the two groups. According to our findings, neutrophil and WBC counts, mean platelet volume, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were significantly higher, and the haemoglobin concentration, platelet count, and absolute lymphocyte count were lower in women diagnosed with endometriosis compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in hematological parameters of patients with endometriosis stages III and IV. Finally, we found that the preoperative level of hematological parameters lacked sufficient power for the diagnosis of endometriosis. Also, our results indicate that endometriosis is associated with an inflammatory processes.

IMPACT STATEMENT

• What is already known on this subject? Inflammatory factors are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis; however, there are inconsistent reports on the association between blood inflammatory markers and endometriosis.

• What do the results of this study add? The results of this study indicate that endometriosis is associated with inflammatory processes that lead to changes in hematological parameters; however, preoperative measurement of these parameters has not sufficient power for the diagnosis of endometriosis.

• What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The preoperative level of hematological parameters lacks sufficient power for the diagnosis of endometriosis, but they may help doctors make a diagnosis in the clinical setting as auxiliary findings.

Keywords:

• Hematological parameters
• endometriosis
• stage of endometriosis
• inflammation

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the study protocol was approved by the institutional review board and the ethics committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran [IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1396.3067].