Adenomyosis : Early Diagnosis is Essential in Adolescence

Adenomyosis could be troublesome in adolescents too !

Key Points

Highlights:

• Adenomyosis often coexists with endometriosis, sharing symptoms and affecting up to half of the patients.
• It involves endometrial tissue in the uterine muscle, leading to an enlarged, painful uterus.

Importance:

• Adenomyosis can cause severe menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, and chronic pelvic pain, beginning as early as adolescence.
• Early diagnosis with advanced imaging like MRI and ultrasound can improve management and quality of life.

What's done here:

• The authors have made a comprehensive electronic data search by MEDLINE database, all English-language papers focusing on adenomyosis in adolescence from inception to April 2024 evaluated.
• 620 records screened, and among 189 eligible study 66 were included.

Main key features :

• Adenomyosis often coexists with endometriosis, both of which may also have an early onset.
• During management of adenomyosis concomitant endometriosis, especially deep posterior type should also be considered.
• Early diagnosis with ultrasound or MRI enables better therapeutic management, improving patients’ quality of life. 

Lay Summary

Dr. Martire and colleagues from Siena University, Italy, published their recent research on adenomyosis in adolescents in the journal Diagnostics.

Traditionally considered a condition affecting women over 40, adenomyosis is now recognized as a disease with early onset, including during adolescence, thanks to advancements in ultrasound and MRI.

The authors conducted a comprehensive review of English-language studies in the MEDLINE database through April 2024, focusing on adenomyosis in adolescence. They concluded that early diagnosis is essential to mitigate severe symptoms, delay or avoid surgical interventions, and preserve fertility.

Adenomyosis frequently coexists with endometriosis, both of which may begin in adolescence. Clinicians are urged to screen for concomitant endometriosis, particularly deep posterior variants, in patients with adenomyosis.

By combining clinical symptoms with expert use of non-invasive imaging techniques like ultrasound and MRI, earlier and more accurate diagnoses can improve outcomes and quality of life for young patients.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39518312/