Autoreactivity in women with endometriosis

Serum samples from 71 patients with laparoscopically staged endometriosis and from 109 age-matched non-pregnant control women were tested for antibodies to nuclear, phospholipid, smooth muscle and sperm antigens. Immunoglobulin G, M and A and complement components C3 and C4 were measured. Prevalence of the following autoantibodies was statistically significantly greater in women with endometriosis than in the control group: antinuclear antibodies, antibodies to ribonucleoproteins, smooth muscle antibodies, lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody. Forty-one women with endometriosis (58%) had some type of autoantibody compared with 13 controls (12%). More women in the endometriosis group had IgG and IgM levels above the normal range. This was statistically significant for IgG in women with grade 3 and for IgM in those with grade 4 endometriosis, IgG levels were significantly higher in antibody-positive women with endometriosis than in the control group. Immunoglobulin and complement component levels tended to have a positive correlation with stage of disease.