WOMEN diagnosed with endometriosis may face a significantly higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases within the following two years, according to a large-scale case-control study.
Researchers analysed insurance claims data from over 1.5 million patients across two major administrative databases between 2010 and 2017. The cohort included 332,409 women with endometriosis and 1,220,932 matched controls. Findings revealed that women with endometriosis had nearly twice the odds of receiving a diagnosis of at least one of 10 autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis.
The strongest associations were seen with rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and systemic lupus erythematosus—autoimmune conditions that, like endometriosis, are often underdiagnosed or misattributed in women.
This is the first study to demonstrate a statistically significant association between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases within a two-year diagnostic window. The authors suggest that these results support a growing body of research proposing shared inflammatory or immune-mediated mechanisms behind both disease categories.
As endometriosis affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age globally, the findings underscore the need for heightened awareness among clinicians of potential autoimmune comorbidities and earlier, integrated care strategies.
Reference
Aziz M et al. Endometriosis and autoimmunity: a large-scale case-control study of endometriosis and 10 distinct autoimmune diseases. npj Womens Health. 2025;DOI: 10.1038/s44294-025-00086-8.
