Epidemiology and matrix metalloproteinases associated with pelvic organ prolapse: narrative review of the literature

Abstract

Pelvic organ prolapse carries a risk of recurrence and leads to several disorders which bother the patient and alter her quality of life and her self-esteem. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the published literature on the epidemiology and matrix metalloproteinases involved in the development of pelvic organ prolapse. We carried out online searches in electronic databases: Hinari, Google scholar, Pubmed and Embase; and manual searches of the references of each selected article to identify more studies not captured by the online search. Studies on adult women published in English and French over the past 25 years were collected. We excluded animal studies, those published multiple times, duplicates, letters, commentaries, editorial notes, congress report, clinical practice guidelines, case reports, studies of comorbidities (cervical cancer, fistulas, pregnancy), and those evaluating paraclinical examinations and treatment. A total of 153 articles were read and 84 studies were retained, including 33 on the prevalence of genital prolapse, 24 on its epidemiological and physiopathological risk factors, 7 on the recurrence of genital prolapse and its risk factors, 20 on the matrix metalloproteinases associated with pelvic organ prolapse and their regulatory factors. The identification of the epidemiology and matrix metalloproteinases associated with pelvic organ prolapse appears important for improving its treatment through appropriate advice and measures.