The immunopathophysiology of endometriosis
Trends in molecular medicine, 2018•cell.com
Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, estrogen-dependent disease characterized by the
growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Although the etiology of
endometriosis remains elusive, immunological dysfunction has been proposed as a critical
facilitator of ectopic lesion growth following retrograde menstruation of endometrial debris.
However, it is not clear whether this immune dysfunction is a cause or consequence of
endometriosis. Thus, here we provide in-depth insights into our current understanding of the …
growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Although the etiology of
endometriosis remains elusive, immunological dysfunction has been proposed as a critical
facilitator of ectopic lesion growth following retrograde menstruation of endometrial debris.
However, it is not clear whether this immune dysfunction is a cause or consequence of
endometriosis. Thus, here we provide in-depth insights into our current understanding of the …
Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, estrogen-dependent disease characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Although the etiology of endometriosis remains elusive, immunological dysfunction has been proposed as a critical facilitator of ectopic lesion growth following retrograde menstruation of endometrial debris. However, it is not clear whether this immune dysfunction is a cause or consequence of endometriosis. Thus, here we provide in-depth insights into our current understanding of the immunopathophysiology of endometriosis and highlight challenges and opportunities for future research. With the explosion of successful immune-based therapies targeting various chronic inflammatory conditions, it is crucial to determine whether immune dysfunction can be therapeutically targeted in endometriosis.
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