Endometriosis in the African American woman—racially, a different entity?

Abstract

Endometriosis has been identified in up to 10% of women in some reports; however, few studies have evaluated African American women. The purpose of this study was to localize the implantation sites of endometriosis in urban Detroit female patients. This study was a retrospective chart analysis of patients with laparoscopes for endometriosis at St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. All women had concomitant disease involving the uterus and multiple genital structures. In total, 93% had uterine implants, 62% had ovarian implants, 51% had posterior cul-de-sac disease, and 44% had fallopian tube involvement. Forty-five percent had abdominal wall spread, 8% with large bowel implants, and 13% with small bowel involvement. Fifty percent had uterosacral implants, 2% had bladder involvement, 2% had perihepatic involvement, and 4% had omental implants. African American women appear to have a predilection for uterine implants of endometriosis, which may be due to genetic, environmental, or previously presented theories. Further study of urban African American females is necessary to investigate the departure from typical sites of endometriotic implant localization.