Uterine Fibroids Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk in Women

Women diagnosed with uterine fibroids have a heart disease risk more than 80% higher than women without fibroids, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in the uterus. the U.S.Office of Women’s Health estimates that 20% to 80% of women will develop fibroids by age 50.

“Nearly 26 million pre-menopausal women in the U.S. are affected by uterine fibroids, and many have no symptoms. Despite how common they are, fibroids haven’t been studied enough,” said Julia D. DiTosto, M.S., a Ph.D. Candidate in Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “Some research suggests fibroids and heart disease share similar biological processes, like the growth of muscle cells, tissue buildup, calcification, and inflammation.”

DiTosto explained that past studies were limited by small size, lack of diversity, and design issues.

“We wanted to overcome these limitations with a large, diverse dataset and long-term follow-up,” she said. “Our results suggest fibroids may help identify women at higher risk for heart disease, with this increased risk lasting up to 10 years after diagnosis.”

Researchers analyzed U.S. health data from 2000 to 2022.They compared over 450,000 women (average age 41) with fibroids to nearly 2,251,000 women without fibroids. For the next ten years, they tracked cases of coronary artery disease (including heart attack), cerebrovascular disease (stroke and related conditions), and peripheral artery disease.

They found:

• After 10 years, women with fibroids had a higher risk of all three conditions: coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease.