Prevalence of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and its Associated Risk Factors in Women of Perimenopausal Age GroupA Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is defined as any deviation from the normal menstrual cycle that is abnormal in regularity, duration, volume and frequency. AUB may be accompanied by pain and discomfort which presents a substantial burden on patient’s health, quality of life, society and healthcare system. There is also an increased incidence of associated co-morbidities like thyroid disease, diabetes and hypertension in AUB cases. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of AUB according to the PALM-COEIN classification and its associated risk factors in the perimenopausal age group. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the Gynecology Department of Malabar Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerela, India. The data was collected from the medical records and computerised system of the hospital for a period of one year from January 2021 to December 2021. A total of 225 patients in the perimenopausal age group (40 years and above) attending Gynecology Outpatient Department (OPD) and admitted with complaints of AUB was included. Patient’s information such as age, menstrual history, obstetric history, medical and surgical history, laboratory tests, imaging findings, endometrial biopsy results was obtained and analysed. Data was entered in Microsoft excel excel and analysed by using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 24.0. Results: The total number of patients attending the gynecology outpatient department during the study period was 11765. The total number of AUB cases during the study period were 2154, so the prevalence for AUB was 18.3%. For the assosciated risk factors, 255 patients were considered, where maximum number of patients 103 (45.3%) were in the age group of 45- 49 years. Structural causes accounts for 175 (77.6%) cases. Hypertension was the most common risk factor associated with AUB 68 (30.2%), followed by diabetes 32 (14.2%) and thyroid disorders 15 (6.6%). Conclusion: The prevalence of AUB was 18.3% in present study. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding - Ovulatory dysfunction and Abnormal Uterine Bleeding- Endometrial had statistically significant association with thyroid disease.