BackgroundA cross-sectional study has reported that nickel allergy is associated with endometriosis. However, causal studies of this association are limited.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of nickel allergy in women with and without endometriosis.MethodsWe used a National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) sample cohort dataset that included approximately 1 million individuals from South Korea; the data were obtained between January 01, 2002, and December 31, 2013. We selected the endometriosis group according to diagnosis code (N80.X), surgery codes, and drug codes during the years 2009~2013. The controls were randomly matched to the endometriosis patients at a ratio of 4:1 by age and socioeconomic status. Patients with nickel allergy were defined in the cohort dataset as those with a simultaneous diagnosis code (L23.0) and patch test code during 2002~2008.ResultsIn total, 4,985 women were selected from the NHIS cohort database and divided into an endometriosis group (997 women) and a control group (3,988 women). The number of patients with nickel allergy in the endometriosis group was eight (0.8%), and that in the control group was thirteen (0.3%). After adjustment for age and socioeconomic status, the rate of nickel allergy in was higher in the endometriosis group than in the control group [odds ratio: 2.474; 95% confidence interval: 1.023~5.988; p = 0.044].ConclusionsWe found that nickel allergy is a risk factor for endometriosis.
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare the prevalence of thyroid diseases between women with and without endometriosis.We established the endometriosis group according to diagnosis codes, surgery codes, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist codes using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service—National Inpatients Sample (HIRA-NIS) from 2009 to 2011. Four controls were randomly matched to each endometriosis case. Thyroid disease cases were selected using the thyroid disease diagnosis code (E0X).Among the 1,843,451 women sampled, 5615 had endometriosis; 22,460 controls were matched to the endometriosis cases. After adjustment for age and sampling year, Graves disease was associated with endometriosis (odds ratio [OR]: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.30–4.88; P < 0.01), while hypothyroidism was not (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.90–1.52; P = 0.25). Autoimmune hypothyroidism was also not associated with endometriosis (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 0.88–2.94; P = 0.12).This study revealed an association between Graves disease and endometriosis.
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