Iron Therapy Shows Promise Against Endometriosis
One in 10 women suffer from the painful uterine condition, experts say
WEDNESDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- A treatment that eases iron
overload could help women fight painful endometriosis, researchers
re****t.
Endometriosis is a disorder in which endometrial tissue develops
outside the uterus, and attaches to ligaments and organs in the
abdomen. The disease can cause bleeding, pain, inflammation, adhesions
and infertility. Experts say up to 10 percent of women may be affected.
In their study with mice, Belgian researchers concluded that an
overload of iron in the pelvic cavity may help make these lesions grow
by promoting the proliferation of their epithelial (lining) cells. This
iron overload does not actually cause endometriosis, the study said.
Re****ting in the current issue of Human Reproduction, the researchers
also found that treatment with an "iron chelater" -- molecules that
attach to metal ions and neutralize their harmful effects on the body
-- can reduce cell proliferation in the lesions.
"Our findings represent a crucial step in finding the answer to
endometriosis, because we are focusing our research more on the origins
and causes of the disease in the context of prevention than on surgical
treatment when the disease is already present," research leader Jacques
Donnez, head of the department of gynecology at the Catholic University
of Louvain, said in a prepared statement.
"We really hope that, in the future, genetics will help us determine
the population of young women at high risk of endometriosis and that
treatment, resulting from our findings, may then prevent the
development or evolution of the disease," Donnez said.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about endometriosis.
(SOURCE: European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, news
release, July 26, 2006)
Copyright =A9 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
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