The association between endometrial polyps and metabolic syndrome: a case-control study

Endometrial polyps are common benign gynaecologic disorders. The etiopathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, however obesity is an important risk factor for the development of endometrial polyps.

The aim of the study was to evaluate a possible association between endometrial polyps and clinical parameters of metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Forty-five women with endometrial polyps (study group) and 45 without (control group) were included in this cross-sectional study. The main parameters evaluated between the groups were age, BMI (body mass index), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, serum lipid profiles, fasting glucose levels and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of BMI, WC, insulin levels and HOMA-IR (P < 0.05). The MetS was present in 32 (71.1%) of women in the study group and in 6 (13.3%) in the control group (P < 0.001). Logistic regression demonstrated that MetS was a significant risk factor for endometrial polyps. ROC curve analysis also showed that MetS was the most significant discriminative risk factor in the study group with an AUC of 0.789 (0.691-0.887; CI 95%).

Our study suggests that there may be a relationship between endometrial polyps, MetS and insulin resistance. Further studies are required to explain the role of this relationship in the pathogenesis of the disease.