Il March 28 every year we celebrate the World Endometriosis Daya chronic and progressive disease that affects women of childbearing age. The Ferrara Healthcare Companies participate in the celebration of the anniversary through the work carried out by the Services dedicated to the treatment and care of this disease.
Endometriosis is a condition characterized by the presence of tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the uterine cavity (called endometrium), located outside the uterine site.
THE CONSULTATORY IN VIA BOSCHETTO. Il first access point for women who suffer from this pathology it is the Clinic in via Boschetto. “Confirmation of a diagnosis of endometriosis – explains the Head of the Women’s Health Center of the Local Health Authority of Ferrara, Dr. Demetrius Constantine – it can be a factor with a strong impact not only on fertility but also on the well-being of women, also from an economic and social point of view in terms of costs and days of work lost. The women who turn to our clinic mainly present problems of pelvic pain, chronic or otherwise, and significant and disabling dysmenorrhea”. The gynecological clinic can be accessed with or without a request from the General Practitioner; in the case of the request it must include the words “gynecological visit” and the booking must be made at the pharmacy.
“The diagnosis of this pathology is not always easy and immediate – continues the professional – for this reason there are dedicated clinics at the Cona Hospital which can be accessed after an initial basic gynecological evaluation, via examination and transvaginal ultrasound, which are offered by our Women’s Health Center service”.
THE ENDOMETRIOSIS SURGERY OF S. ANNA. At the Cona hospital, theEndometriosis clinic – managed byOperational Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, directed by prof. Pantaleo Greco – which involves not only gynecologists but also other specialists, for a multidisciplinary treatment of the patient. The objective of the clinic is to evaluate patients with pelvic pain or suspected endometriosis from a diagnostic point of view and, subsequently, set up a personalized medical and/or surgical therapeutic program. The clinic is included in the PDTA (Diagnostic Therapeutic Assistance Path) project for endometriosis of the Emilia-Romagna Region which, as the first Region, has proposed a clinical network for taking charge. The aim of the project is to improve the approach to this complex pathology and guarantee better treatment, centralizing the most complex cases to centers with greater diagnostic and surgical experience when necessary. By consulting the site www.regioneer.it/endometriosi more information is available on the pathology and on the project of the regional endometriosis network.
It is possible to access the Endometriosis Clinic in Ferrara by booking at the CUP or at the pharmacy or on the toll-free number 800 532 000, with a request for a “gynecological examination” from the attending physician, indicating in the diagnostic question “suspected endometriosis code 617.9”.
THE PATHOLOGY. Endometriosis is a chronic and progressive disease which affects women of childbearing age. The blood produced by the endometrial tissue located in anomalous, so-called “ectopic” locations, instead of flowing out from the external genitalia, collects and generates local chronic inflammation and organic lesions represented by cysts, nodules, cicatricial lesions at the level of the organs of the pelvis or inside the abdominal cavity which can cause the pain which is the cardinal symptom of this pathology. In more serious cases, the functionality of the affected organs may be compromised and further symptoms may therefore be present. Also important are the repercussions on the reproductive capacity of women, which can be affected by this disease it generates sub-fertility or infertility in 30-40% of cases.
The most frequent symptoms are pain during menstruation or ovulation, pain during sexual intercourse, chronic pelvic pain, heavy or frequent menstruation and infertility not attributable to other known causes. Other less common symptoms may be bloating and/or abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, blood in the stool or urine, chronic fatigue. These symptoms, also common to other pathologies, often delay the diagnosis which can arrive after a long and expensive process, most often experienced with serious psychological repercussions on the part of the patient.
Endometriosis is considered a disease of social importance and has recently been included among the LEAs (Essential Levels of Assistance) in the list of chronic and disabling pathologies, with recognition of the right to exemption from certain specialist services for forms with moderate or severe clinical stages.
According to scientific literature data, approximately 10% of the female population in Europe is affected by endometriosis and in Italy the estimate concerns almost 3 million women. In Emilia-Romagna, around 98,000 women could be affectedi.e. 10% of those of childbearing age (12-50 years) and again in the regional territory there were 896 hospitalizations for endometriosis surgery in 2022.