Endometriosis in the adolescence: a six year follow-up in the General Hospital of Medellín

• Published in: MedUNAB Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 33 - 37
• Main Authors: Catalina Cuervo Valencia, Carolina Toro Navarrete, Carolina Prieto Saldarriaga, Adriana Arango Martínez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga 01-05-2007
• Subjects: adolescence; chronic pelvic pain; dysmenorrhea; endometriosis; laparoscopy
• ISSN: 0123-7047

Background: Endometriosis is a disease that can get to be highlyincapacitating and with lethal consequences in the reproductive future of women. Objective: To know the incidence and to describe theclinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment in a specific population group. Methodology: Descriptive, retrospective, longitudinal study in 34 patients, whose criteria of inclusion were: female sex, age between 11 and 22, diagnosis of endometriosis between 1,998 and 2,003 HGM (Medellin General Hospital) and having attended to a minimum of two evaluations where complementary diagnostic studies were asked for. Results: The found incidence was 2.7%. The main complaints were dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain.41.2% of the studied patients referred at least one alteration in their menstrual cycles; the physical examination was normal in 32.4%.Laparoscopy was the most used surgical diagnostic and therapeuticmethod. The main medical treatment was the oral contraceptives(ACOs). During the follow-up period, symptoms improved in 55.9%of the patients. Conclusion: Endometriosis is a frequent pathologyin the gynecological consultation. The pain was the main reason forconsultation and it is the most frequent fi nding of clinical examination. The laparoscopy and the ACOs are part of the first class handling, showing improvement of the symptoms in most of the studied group.