Blood Pressure Medications Linked to Reduced Risk of Uterine Fibroids

Medications that help control high blood pressure might offer new strategies for preventing uterine fibroids. A study published in JAMA Network Open says that women in midlife with untreated or new onset hypertension experience an increased risk of fibroids while those who are on antihypertensive treatments for blood pressure have a lower risk. Nearly 120 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. About 44% of them are women. High blood pressure can create health issues for the heart and the eyes, kidneys, and brain. 

Research also suggests a link between high blood pressure and uterine fibroids, which is a type of muscular tumor that grows in the walls of the uterus. Based on both clinical and basic research findings, there has been a suggestion that causes of elevated blood pressure (e.g., activation of the renin-angiotensin system) may contribute to uterine smooth muscle cell injury and, therefore, the development of fibroids. Elevated blood pressure, either via atherosclerosis, shear stress, or both, may also contribute. On the other hand, uterine fibroids may also raise blood pressure. Therefore, the relationship may be bidirectional, but prospective studies suggest that hypertension may at least cause fibroids. 

Between 20% and 80% of women develop uterine fibroids by the time they are 50. They are most common in women in their 40s and early 50s. 

Research suggests there are some similarities between fibroids and hypertension. Both are common, both are associated with morbidity, both involve changes to smooth muscle cells, and both are more common in people of African descent. Fibroids don’t always cause symptoms, but if symptoms do occur, they can be challenging and include pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, frequent urination, and pressure in the rectum. 

Some research also suggests that hypertension is a consistently identified risk factor for fibroids. The new research suggests that some blood pressure medications may have an impact in preventing fibroids from developing. 

Antihypertensive medications can lower blood pressure and possibly the risk of atherosclerosis and/or smooth muscle injury of the arteries that provide blood flow to the uterus. There are also classes of antihypertensive medications, i.e., inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system that may have a direct effect. In this study, these inhibitors were associated with the largest risk reduction. However, the new research does not determine how exactly blood pressure medications might work to prevent fibroids from occurring. 

With any patient with hypertension, especially for patients at high cardiovascular risk, vigilant attention to diet and lifestyle changes and, as needed for persistently elevated blood pressure, antihypertensive medications lower overall cardiovascular risk. Whether treatment with medication lowers the risk of the development of fibroids will require additional studies. This paper is an intriguing step in that direction. 

Journal Reference – Susanna D. Mitro, P. (2024). Hypertension, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Uterine Fibroid Diagnosis in Midlife. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2817639?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=041624