UK researchers find key to treating and preventing endometriosis pain
Scientists are a step closer to finding a way to prevent a painful condition which affects one in 10 Australian women.
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Scientists are a step closer to finding a way to prevent the painful condition endometriosis, which affects one in 10 Australian women.
Researchers in the UK have found a type of white blood cell, called a macrophage, is central to whether a woman develops the condition — and how much pain it causes.
Teams in South Australia are also working on how to change the behaviour of these cells, which could lead to new treatments or prevention.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows as lesions elsewhere in the body.
It can cause severe pain, nausea, fatigue, organ damage or infertility. Delays in diagnosis occur because symptoms are mistaken for digestive complaints or downplayed as “normal” period pain.
About 700,00 Australian women are believed to be affected, including Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm and Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins.
Current treatments include surgery to remove lesions or hormonal medications like the Pill, but there is no cure.
A research team from Warwick and Edinburgh Universities in the UK, lead by Dr Erin Greaves, ran tests on mice and found that targeting how macrophage cells behave could lead to new treatments.
South Australian fertility expert Associate Professor Louise Hull said the findings “provide more evidence” that the cells are “fairly central” to whether endometriosis is able to take hold in the body.
She explained that macrophages could work to “clear” endometriosis lesions when they start to form, or could “heal” and foster their growth, depending on other factors such as a woman’s genes or immune system.
“If we really understand these macrophagesand how they work we might be able to find something that can get them to clear a lesion rather than help it to grow,” she said.
Macrophages also play a role in how much pain is caused by a lesion, and this could be targeted to develop non-hormonal pain relief.
For support visit Endometriosis Australia or Endoactive.