Uterine Fibroids Tied to Sustained Increased Risk for Atherosclerotic CVD

THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Uterine fibroids are associated with an increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) up to 10 years after diagnosis, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Julia D. DiTosto, from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the association between uterine fibroids and risk for incident ASCVD in a U.S. population-based cohort study. Individuals with fibroids were exact age-matched to those without fibroids with an annual gynecologic claim in a 1:5 ratio (450,177 individuals with fibroids and 2,250,885 controls, respectively).

The researchers found that the one- and 10-year cumulative incidence of ASCVD was 0.74 and 5.42 percent, respectively, for those with fibroids versus 0.30 and 3.00 percent, respectively, for controls. The fibroid group had increased ASCVD risk (one-year risk ratio, 2.47; one-year risk difference, 0.41 percent; 10-year risk ratio, 1.81; 10-year risk difference, 2.40 percent) in adjusted analyses. For all individual components of ASCVD, the increased risk was consistent. Across race and ethnicity and age subgroups and in sensitivity analyses addressing measurement error, the results were consistent.

“The strength of the relationship between heart disease risk and uterine fibroids was striking,” DiTosto said in a statement. “However, it”s important to note that more research is needed to confirm these findings in other populations before formal changes are made to cardiovascular risk assessment guidelines. In the meantime, these results support having thoughtful conversations between women and their providers about heart health in the context of a fibroid diagnosis.”

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