Correlational Analysis of Interleukin 6, Adiponectin and Lipid Indices in Women with Uterine Fibroids

Background: Uterine fibroids are the most common benign, monoclonal tumours affecting women of reproductive age.

Aim: This study investigated the association between interleukin-6 (IL-6), adiponectin (ADP) and lipid indices in women with uterine fibroids.

Subjects and Methods: Sixty (60) participants were recruited for this study. They comprised thirty (30) subjects who had ultrasonographic evidence of uterine fibroids and thirty (30) subjects who had no ultrasonographic evidence of uterine fibroids. Subjects were recruited from the Gynaecology out-patient clinic of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Anthropometric measurements were performed using standard method. About 5 mL of venous blood was collected from each study participant and was dispensed into a plain bottle. Serum was obtained after clotting and centrifugation and was aliquoted into a small vial which was stored at -20°C until time of analysis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), adiponectin (ADP), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and colorimetric method as appropriate. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) was estimated using Friedewald’s equation. Data analysis was done using Student’s t-test for comparison of variables and Pearson’s correlation was used to determine the relationship between variables. P–value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Women with uterine fibroids had significantly elevated body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) when compared with the controls (P<0.05). The mean values of TC, TG, LDL and IL-6 were significantly elevated in women with uterine fibroids when compared with the control subjects (P<0.05). Women with uterine fibroids had significantly reduced levels of ADP when compared with controls (P<0.05) and there was no significant difference in the levels of HDL when both case and control subjects were compared (P>0.05). Interleukin-6 had a significant positive correlation with BMI, WC, WHR, TC, TG and LDL. Interleukin-6 also had a significant negative correlation with HDL and ADP.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant direct relationship between IL-6 and dyslipidemia in women with uterine fibroids. Also, we observed a noteworthy inverse relationship between IL-6 and adiponectin in women with uterine leiomyomas, thus emphasizing the low grade chronic inflammatory state, associated with uterine leiomyomas.