Serum levels of VEGF, CRP and their relevance in patients with endometriosis

Objective: To measure serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in women with and without endometriosis and to quantify the association between them. Methods: VEGF and CRP concentrations were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 30 r-AFS stage III-IV endometriosis patients (involving proliferative phase 13 cases and secretory phase 17 cases) and 22 controls without endometriosis (involving proliferative phase 10 cases and secretory phase 22 cases). Non-parametric methods and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used for statistical analysis. Results: Increased serum levels of VEGF in secretory phase and CRP in secretory phase were observed. A positive correlation between CRP and VEGF was found in endometriosis patients but not in controls. Conclusions: Our results suggest that excessive systemic angiogenic activity and abnormal inflammatory reaction are features of patients with endometriosis.