Gynecological issues in children and adolescents seen at rare-disease referral centers: an observational retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Background The current development of gynecology services for children and adolescents seeks to meet needs both in the overall population and in patients with rare diseases. In France, the referral center for rare gynecological diseases specializes in four major types of conditions, namely, uterovaginal malformations, hereditary hemorrhagic diseases, rare benign breast diseases, and gynecological repercussions of rare chronic diseases. Objective To describe consecutive patients who had a first visit in 2018–2023 at the referral center for rare gynecological diseases at the Necker Pediatric University Hospital in Paris, France, and who were diagnosed with a condition in any of the four categories listed above. Material and methods For this single-center retrospective observational cohort study, data from the referral-center database were collected and reviewed. These data included year of birth, age at and reason for first gynecology visit, and rare chronic disease and referring rare-disease center for patients seen for gynecological repercussions of rare chronic diseases. Results The 704 included patients had a median age of 15.2 years (interquartile range 3.8) at the first visit. Among them, 100 (14.2%) had uterovaginal malformations, 32 (4.6%) hereditary hemorrhagic diseases, 17 (2.4%) rare benign breast diseases, and 555 (78.8%) gynecological repercussions of rare chronic diseases. The leading reasons for the visit were dysmenorrhea (15.6%), menorrhagia (15.5%), uterovaginal malformations (15.2%), and irregular periods (14.9%). Conclusion Repercussions of rare chronic diseases managed at rare-disease referral centers were by far the leading reason for seeking gynecological expertise in rare diseases. In this complex situation, the underlying disease and its treatments interact with the gynecological manifestations and their treatment, requiring close collaboration among all specialists caring for each patient.

Keywords

• Cohort
• Rare disease
• Gynecology
• French National Referral Center