Is there a Way of Knowing if I Have Endometriosis Without Surgery?

Serum levels of ILs could help diagnose endometriosis in a non-invasive manner, study suggests.

Key Points

Highlights: 

• The serum levels of certain interleukins are higher while that of others are lower in patients with endometriosis compared to people without the disease.

Importance:

• This finding suggests that serum levels of interleukins could be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool in endometriosis.

What’s done here:

• Researchers conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of 30 research articles.

Key results:

• The levels of IL-1Ra, IL-6, and IL-37 were higher in the serum of patients with endometriosis compared to people without the disease.
• The levels of IL-23 were lower in the serum of patients with endometriosis compared to people without the disease.

Lay Summary

The levels of certain cell signaling molecules called interleukins (ILs) are higher while that of others is lower in patients with endometriosis, according to a new study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. 

“There is mounting evidence that ILs … may be good candidates for unique noninvasive diagnostic tools and/or treatment pathways for endometriosis,” the authors of the study said.

Under the leadership of Dr. John J Coté from Creighton University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in Omaha, NE, and CommonSpirit Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in Chicago, IL, the team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to come up with a comprehensive survey of serum IL levels in patients with untreated endometriosis and compare that to people without the disease.

The team reviewed a total of 651 studies and conducted a full-text review of 77 of them. Of these 30 met the inclusion criteria and were meta-analyzed.

The results showed that the levels of IL-1Ra were 2.56, those of IL-6 was 1.38, and those of IL-37 were 1.77 standard deviations higher in patients with endometriosis than in people without the disease. 

On the contrary, the serum levels of IL-23 were 0.40 standard deviations lower in patients with endometriosis compared to people without the disease.

These results suggest that the levels of ILs could be used as a way to diagnose endometriosis in a non-invasive manner.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38428575/