How common is the symptom Shortness of breath among people with endometriosis?
62,79% of people with endometriosis reported Shortness of breath as a symptom of endometriosis in our survey.
How common is the symptom Shortness of breath among people with endometriosis compared to the non-affected group?
6,13% of people with endometriosis suffer from the symptom Shortness of breath very strong compared to a prevalence of 1,26% among non-affected individuals.
The following table shows the symptom Shortness of breath in people with endometriosis compared to non-affected individuals. The scale ranges from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very strong).
| Symptom severity | Endometriosis | Non-affected | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| not at all | 37,21% | 66,04% | -28,83% |
| slightly | 18,92% | 13,84% | 5,09% |
| moderate | 21,70% | 11,32% | 10,38% |
| strong | 16,03% | 7,55% | 8,48% |
| very strong | 6,13% | 1,26% | 4,88% |
Based on the datasets, we calculated the Kendall correlation. The following symptoms could be related to Shortness of breath.
| Symptom name | Correlation |
|---|---|
| Shoulder pain | moderate correlation (31,00%) |
| Joint pain | weak correlation (29,00%) |
| Limb pain | weak correlation (28,00%) |
| Dizziness | weak correlation (28,00%) |
| Exhaustion / Fatigue | weak correlation (26,00%) |
| Chest pain | weak correlation (25,00%) |
| Chills | weak correlation (25,00%) |
| Numbness in legs | weak correlation (24,00%) |
| Numbness in hands | weak correlation (23,00%) |
| Nausea | weak correlation (23,00%) |
| Hearing loss | weak correlation (22,00%) |
| Abdominal pain outside the lower abdomen | weak correlation (22,00%) |
| Taste changes (e.g. iron taste) | weak correlation (22,00%) |
| Belching | weak correlation (22,00%) |
| Headaches / Migraine | weak correlation (21,00%) |
| Depression | weak correlation (21,00%) |
| Back pain | weak correlation (21,00%) |
| Kidney pain | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Hot flashes | weak correlation (20,00%) |
| Leg pain | weak correlation (20,00%) |
Shortness of breath and breathlessness point to diseases of the lungs or heart. A connection to endometriosis is often not considered. Yet breathlessness and shortness of breath are symptoms that can indeed be caused directly or indirectly by endometriosis.
Endometriosis is characterized by growths of endometrium-like cells arising outside the uterus. These can grow on, or infiltrate deeply into, organs. In most women, endometriotic lesions are found in the pelvis. In the special form of “thoracic endometriosis,” lesions grow in the pleura, diaphragm, and lung parenchyma. Because the lungs supply the body with oxygen, growths in this organ—even if benign—are primarily associated with serious consequences. The body’s oxygen supply via the lungs largely determines a person’s functional capacity. Impairments of the lungs almost always cause breathlessness and shortness of breath.
A subtype of “thoracic endometriosis” is the so-called catamenial pneumothorax. A pneumothorax is sometimes also referred to as a collapsed lung. Symptoms include shortness of breath, pain in the chest and shoulder. These symptoms are triggered by air that accumulates in the pleural space. This air can either enter the pleural space from the lung if the lung is affected by an endometriotic lesion. Or air can escape from the uterine cavity and then travel through the abdominal cavity into the pleural space when endometriotic lesions are located in the diaphragm. Even though catamenial pneumothorax is very rare, endometriosis is—depending on the study—a relatively common cause, accounting for 7.3% to 36.7%, when a pneumothorax occurs in women of reproductive age.
Endometriosis can, however, also be causative for coronary artery disease. Although science does not yet fully understand why this is the case, it is clear: endometriosis increases the risk for women of developing cardiovascular disease. In women with endometriosis who were (still) in the reproductive phase, it was found that
After menopause, the risk for women diagnosed with endometriosis was at a level comparable to that of other women without endometriosis.