If your mother or a relative may have suffered from pelvic organ prolapse (POP), you might also be a candidate for this common pelvic floor disorder, according to the results of a clinical trial presented during the annual meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS). In her presentation, Dr. Peggy Norton from the University of Utah School Of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah, tendered evidences that at least six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with POP, suggesting a genetic link in the occurrence of this disorder.
This study which involved 115 white women who had been treated for POP from 1996 to 2008 is actually the first genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for POP. When looking for genetic contributions to complex diseases, the GWAS, which has also become popular since it can be performed on unrelated individuals, are usually used. The genome, in genetics and modern molecular biology, is the entirety of an organism’s hereditary information which may be encoded in the DNA or RNA.
A family history of pelvic floor disorders were reported on these participants who were treated at the university clinic, with 113 of them having undergone surgeries at least once. Average age of these patients at the time of diagnosis was 48.8 years with body mass index of 26.6 kg/m2 and a mean parity of 4.3. Recruited from the general population and determined to be racially similar to the study group were 2,976 women who were used as members of the control group.
With the use of the GWAS techniques, the researchers were able to identify 133 SNPs. When compared with the genome analysis of the control group, further evaluation showed that seven of these may be associated with POP, with at least six SNPs retaining very significant connection with this pelvic floor disorder.
Support on the belief that pelvic floor disorders, particularly POP, may run in the family is provided by the findings of this study. This form of validation is very important especially in the prevention of POP and possibly other pelvic floor disorders. Women who may be at risk due to genetic factors may undertake preventive measures at the earliest possible time with this knowledge.
By controlling the development of this very common disorder through these measures, women may benefit greatly. With the risk of surgery increasing by 20 percent, this may also spare thousands of women the possibility of experiencing severe complications resulting from these procedures, especially those using transvaginal mesh implants.
With the serious injuries caused by these implants, thousands of women have been compelled to take legal remedies such as filing of vaginal mesh lawsuits against mesh manufacturers. Litigations of these claims have gone smoothly with online media sources reporting recently that Mentor Worldwide was found liable in a vaginal mesh lawsuit in Georgia.
Reference:
medscape.com/viewarticle/730856
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