Uterine leiomyomata are a marker for systemic hypertension

Abstract

Objectives: Angiotensin II plays a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension and perhaps also in the development of leiomyomata. This pilot study seeks to establish whether women with uterine leiomyomata (LM) have a higher incidence of hypertension (HTN). Materials: This retrospective study examined the charts from 205 women admitted to our institution with a diagnosis of LM between January 1999 and December 1999, inclusive. Hypertension was defined as a history of elevated blood pressure requiring therapy or a finding of a systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg during the admission. These data were stratified according to age and race and compared with results of the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III data. Results: Twenty-seven percent of the women were African American (AA) and 66% were Caucasian (C). The prevalence of HTN in women with LM was higher in our population than in the NHANES III data (overall: 49% versus 18%; AA: 50.8% versus 28.1%; C: 51.1% versus 16.7%). Conclusions: The prevalence of HTN in women with LM is higher than in the NHANES III data. Uterine LM may be a marker for elevated angiotension II and HTN. This relationship will be explored in future prospective studies.