Oral contraceptives and liver hemangioma: a case-control study

• Published in: Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica Vol. 83; no. 12; pp. 1199 - 1201
• Main Authors: Gemer, Ofer, Moscovici, Oana, Ben-Horin, Clara L. Dosoretz, Linov, Lina, Peled, Ronit, Segal, Shmuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK; Malden, USA Munksgaard International Publishers 01.12.2004; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Confidence Intervals; Contraceptive Agents, Female - adverse effects; Contraceptives, Oral - adverse effects; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Hemangioma - chemically induced; Hemangioma - epidemiology; Humans; Israel - epidemiology; liver hemangioma; Liver Neoplasms - chemically induced; Liver Neoplasms - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Menarche; Menopause; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; oral contraceptives; Parity; Time Factors; Israel; oral contraceptives; Digestive system; Liver; Gynecology; Oral administration; Cardiovascular disease; Case control study; Obstetrics; Vascular disease; Case study; Angioma; liver hemangioma; Contraceptive
• ISSN: 0001-6349; 1600-0412
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0001-6349.2004.00551.x

Objective.  To study whether there is an epidemiological association between liver hemangiomas and oral contraception use, as may be suggested by clinical observations of liver hemangioma growth during pregnancy and under estrogen administration. Methods.  A case‐control study of 40 women with liver hemangiomas, as diagnosed by imaging studies [ultrasonography (US) or computed tomography (CT) and nuclear scan], and 109 age‐matched control with normal studies. The women were interviewed with respect to their menstrual, reproductive and oral contraception use history. Results.  The liver hemangioma and control groups did not differ significantly with regard to their menstrual or reproductive history. Ever oral contraception use was reported by 30% of the cases and 27% of controls. The odds ratio (OR) was 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52–2.60] for ever use, 1.64 (95% CI 0.37–7.13) for initiation before the age of 20, and 0.62 (95% CI 0.16–2.42) for use duration of less than 1 year. On the multivariate analysis only the women's age emerged as a predictor for liver hemangiomas (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.16–8.96). Conclusions.  In this study liver hemangiomas were not associated with menstrual, reproductive and oral contraception use history.