Women with high blood pressure (hypertension) are at increased risk of developing fibroids. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health found that hypertensive women are 24 per cent more likely to develop clinically symptomatic fibroids than non-hypertensive women, and the risk increased with the duration of hypertension. Fibroids are the most common gynaecological tumours and the second leading reason for hysterectomy in the US. Researchers identified 7466 cases of fibroids over a 10-year period in more than 100,000 women. After factoring in age, race/ethnicity, weight, and reproductive history, the researchers found that for every 10-point increase in blood pressure, the risk of fibroids rose by 8 per cent in those who did not take blood pressure-lowering medication and by 10 per cent in those who took them. The findings suggest that it is reasonable to look into novel approaches to treating fibroids and it is important to explore whether enhanced control of blood pressure, or early detection and treatment for hypertension leads to reductions in the incidence or complications associated with fibroids.
American Journal of Epidemiology,
April 2005