ADENOMYOSIS AT HYSTERECTOMY - A STUDY ON FREQUENCY-DISTRIBUTION AND PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS

To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for adenomyosis, the clini cal records of consecutive women undergoing hysterectomy during a 3 ye ar period were retrieved, Data were collected on indication for the in tervention, general sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, age at menarche, parity, abortions, and-menopausal status at surgery, Adenomyosis was diagnosed in 332 of the 1334 cases (24.9%), The condit ion was present in 146 of the 627 patients (23.3%) with fibroids and m enorrhagia, 68 of the 265 (25.7%) with prolapse, 21 of the 98 (21.4%) with ovarian cysts, 19 of the 100 (19%) with cervical cancer, 31 of th e 110 (28.2%) with endometrial cancer, 16 of the 57 (28.1%) with ovari an cancer, and 19 of the 77 (24.7%) with miscellaneous indications, Th ese differences were not statistically significant (chi(6)(2) = 11.14) , In comparison with nulliparous women, the odds ratio was 1.3 and 1.5 respectively in women with one and greater than or equal to two birth s (chi(1)(2) trend = 5.76, P < 0.05), No relationship was found betwee n age at surgery, age at menarche, indications for surgery, menopausal status at intervention, and presence of endometriosis, Our findings d o not support the notion that adenomyosis is more frequently related t o particular clinical conditions, and suggest that parity may be assoc iated with an increased frequency of adenomyosis.