Endometriosis and COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Endocrinology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Ectopic endometrial tissue in endometriosis may disrupt hormonal and immunological processes, potentially increasing susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19).
• The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on endometriosis patients, including infection prevalence and symptom exacerbation, requires systematic evaluation.

Approach:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, searching MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar.
• Keywords included "endometriosis" AND ("COVID-19" OR "SARS-CoV-2").
• Data from 15 studies involving 17,799 patients were analyzed using Open Meta Analyst software.

Key Points:

• The pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among endometriosis patients was 7.5%.
• Significant health impacts included 47.2% reporting decreased medical care access, a 49.3% increase in dysmenorrhea, 75% increase in anxiety, 59.4% increase in depression, and 68.9% increase in fatigue.

Conclusions:

• Endometriosis patients experienced substantial negative health impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• These impacts manifested as worsened dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.
• The findings highlight the vulnerability of endometriosis patients to global health crises.