Relação entre índice de massa corporal e endometriose intestinal

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the association between obesity and intestinal involvement of endometriosis, defined as lesions greater than one centimeter, in patients with surgically confirmed deep endometriosis. This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted at the endometriosis outpatient clinic of Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, a large tertiary care center located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants were diagnosed with intestinal involvement based on the analysis of surgical specimens and corresponding histopathological reports between September 2023 and December 2024. Obesity was defined according to body weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) classification, following the criteria established by the World Health Organization. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple logistic regression adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic variables. Among the variables analyzed, body weight showed a statistically significant association with the outcome (p = 0.031), suggesting an inverse relationship. However, it is well established that body weight alone does not adequately reflect obesity per se. BMI did not demonstrate statistical significance in the final logistic model, indicating that this measure may not reliably represent body fat distribution, in line with current literature. Additionally, a history of previous cesarean sections was negatively associated with the presence of intestinal lesions (p = 0.002). These findings suggest that BMI did not play an important role and that both obesity/weight and prior cesarean delivery may be associated with a lower frequency of intestinal involvement in patients with deep endometriosis.