UTERINE LEIOMYOMAS - RACIAL-DIFFERENCES IN SEVERITY, SYMPTOMS AND AGEAT DIAGNOSIS

OBJECTIVE: To investigate racial differences in the presence of leiomy omas, condition severity, associated symptoms and age at diagnosis bet ween black and white hysterectomy patients. STUDY DESIGN: This study i ncluded 409 black women and 836 white women aged 18 ol older who under went hysterectomy for noncancerous conditions at 28 hospitals in Maryl and. Patients were interviewed shortly before surgery, and hospital re cords were abstracted after discharge. RESULTS: Overall, 89% of the bl ack women and 59% of the white women were found to have leiomyomas. Am ong those with a confirmed presurgical diagnosis of leiomyomas, the av erage age at diagnosis was 37.5 years for black women and 41.6 for whi te women, and the average age at hysterectomy was 41.7 for black women and 44.6 for white women. The average uterine weight for black women with leiomyomas was 420.8 g and for white women was 319.2 g, Black wom en were more likely to have seven or more leiomyomas (57%) in comparis on to white women (36%). Black women with leiomyomas were more likely to be anemic (56%) than white women (38%) and more likely to report ha ving very severe or severe pelvic pain (59%) than white women (41%). C ONCLUSION: Black women having hysterectomy had larger and more numerou s leiomyomas, and the leiomyomas were more symptomatic than in white w omen despite a younger age at diagnosis and hysterectomy.