black women fibroids

A study has found that black women are at higher risk of developing fibroids than women of other races in SA. Image: Pexels via Pixabay

Are black women at higher risk of uterine fibroids?

Black women are found to be more likely to develop fibroids, according to experts, but data from Sub-Saharan Africa is lacking.

black women fibroids

A study has found that black women are at higher risk of developing fibroids than women of other races in SA. Image: Pexels via Pixabay

Black women may be more likely than other demographics to be develop uterine fibroids (UF), non-cancerous growths on the uterus.

This is according to a Health-e News report which cited two studies mentioned in a literary review on the subject as well as an expert who confirms the data.

The condition is the leading reason for women to undergo hysterectomies, the surgical removal of the uterus.

RACE AND FIBROIDS

Gynaecologist at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Dr Constant Ndjapa-Ndamkou tells Health-e News that six out of ten black women who come to the hospital every week have fibroids in the uterus. UF can affect the ability of a woman to fall pregnant or carry a child to term.

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This echoes data from the US, where black women are a minority demographic, which shows that UF more prevalent among black American women.

According to the website, researchers exploring the effects of race and ethnic variations in Africa confirm a correlation between race and UF. However, the report found that there is a lack of in-depth epidemiological studies on the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of UF in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

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One such study in South Africa found that over 60% of people who underwent hysterectomies at a single institution over six months had UF. A similar study in Nigeria found that only 2,2% of hysterectomy patients had U

According to McLeod Health, studies show that African-American women suffer from fibroids 2 to 3 times more than white women. In the US, Black women tend to experience fibroids at a younger age and often more severely than their white counterparts, the publication says. One study estimates that a quarter of all black American women suffer from fibroids by the age of 25 and 80% will have them by age 50.