Non-malignant gynaecological disease and risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. Non-malignant gynaecological diseases (NMGD) significantly affect patient health and well-being and may be associated with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease (C/CVD). Methods Seven databases were searched for relevant studies up to 21 April 2024. Observational studies reporting risk estimates and 95% CIs for the association between NMGD and C/CVD were included. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Random effects models were used to calculate summary relative risk (SRR) with 95% CI. Composite C/CVD outcome was defined as a combination of ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease. The ROBINS-I tool defined study quality and risk of bias. Results We screened 6639 studies, of which 59 were eligible for full-Text review and 28 were included in our analysis, comprising a total of 3 271 242 individuals. The majority (53.5%) of the studies were scored as having a â € serious'/â € critical' risk of bias. Overall, individuals with an NMGD had a significantly greater risk of composite C/CVD with low heterogeneity among contributing studies (SRR 1.28, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.37; n=16 studies, I 2 =65.3%), ischaemic heart disease (SRR 1.41, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.51; n=21 studies, I 2 =73.7%), and cerebrovascular disease (SRR 1.33, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.51; n=16 studies, I 2 =91.5%). In NMGD-specific analyses, the risk of C/CVD and its components was greater among those with a history of endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome. Conclusions We found an overall association between NMGD and C/CVD across all studies. However, estimates from individual studies varied substantially.