Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2014 Sep 26:9:184.
doi: 10.1186/s13000-014-0184-x.

Associations between estrogen receptor-beta polymorphisms and endometriosis risk: a meta-analysis

Renyong Guo, Nengneng Zheng, Shiping Ding, Ying Zheng, Limin Feng
Meta-Analysis

Associations between estrogen receptor-beta polymorphisms and endometriosis risk: a meta-analysis

Renyong Guo et al. Diagn Pathol. .

Abstract

Background: Many epidemiological studies have suggested an association between estrogen receptor-beta (ER-β) polymorphisms with endometriosis risk. However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the associations between the ER-β rs4986938 and rs1256049 polymorphisms and endometriosis risk.

Methods: Eligible publications were retrieved from the PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and several Chinese language databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random or fixed effect model.

Results: A total of eight studies (1100 cases/1485 controls) for the rs4986938 polymorphism and four studies (353 cases/450 controls) for the rs1256049 polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. Regarding the rs4986938 polymorphism, no obvious associations were found for all genetic models when all studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, study sample size, endometriosis-associated infertility, and stage of endometriosis, a significantly increased risk was observed among mixed populations (dominant model, OR=2.03, 95% CI=1.56-2.64) and among cases with endometriosis-associated infertility (dominant model, OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.26-2.67). Regarding the rs1256049 polymorphism, no obvious associations were found for all genetic models in the overall population. Subgroup analyses by ethnicity and study sample size revealed that only one study of a mixed population with small sample size showed an increased risk of endometriosis. No publication bias was found in the present study.

Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the ER-β rs4986938 and rs1256049 polymorphisms may not be associated with endometriosis risk, while the observed increased risk of endometriosis-associated infertility may be due to bias by the inclusion of small-scale studies.

Virtual slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/13000_2014_184.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of publication selection. A total of nine studies were included in this meta-analysis and systematic review after a comprehensive study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis for the association of the ER-β rs4986938 polymorphism and endometriosis risk based on the dominant model (AA + GA vs. GG; stratified by ethnicity).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A forest plot of the relationship of the ER-β rs4986938 polymorphism with the risk of endometriosis-associated infertility based on the dominant model (AA + GA vs. GG).
Figure 4
Figure 4
A forest plot of the relationship of the ER-β rs4986938 polymorphism with stage of endometriosis (stage III–IV vs. stage I–II) based on the dominant model (AA + GA vs. GG).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis for the association of the ER-β rs1256049 polymorphism and endometriosis risk based on the dominant model (AA + GA vs. GG; stratified by ethnicity).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Sensitivity analysis of the summary OR coefficients on the associations among the ER-β rs4986938 and rs1256049 polymorphisms with the risk of endometriosis based on the dominant model (AA + GA vs. GG).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Missmer SA, Cramer DW. The epidemiology of endometriosis. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2003;30:1–19. doi: 10.1016/S0889-8545(02)00050-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gao X, Outley J, Botteman M, Spalding J, Simon JA, Pashos CL. Economic burden of endometriosis. Fertil Steril. 2006;86:1561–1572. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.06.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vigano P, Somigliana E, Vignali M, Busacca M, Blasio AM. Genetics of endometriosis: current status and prospects. Front Biosci. 2007;12:3247–3255. doi: 10.2741/2308. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Simpson JL, Bischoff FZ. Heritability and molecular genetic studies of endometriosis. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2002;955:239–251. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb02785.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Goetzl EJ, Sreedharan SP. Mediators of communication and adaptation in the neuroendocrine and immune systems. FASEB J. 1992;6:2646–2652. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances