Endometriosis affects one woman in ten in France, and is considered as the first cause of infertility. Very badly known, endometriosis is inadequately addressed and diagnosed very late. The time elapsed between the first symptoms and diagnosis generally involves many years, between 8 and 12 years. But it could be improved very soon thanks to a saliva test developed by the French.
So far, endometriosis was diagnosed by MRI or coelioscopy under general anesthetic. Another step in women’s way to diagnose as they have been suffering from tortuous medical journey for years. French company Ziwig has invented the very first saliva test, Endotest, able to very quicky detect endometriosis in women. This new method – based on micro-RNA in the saliva – is almost 100% reliable.
Inventors have conducted a study in 200 women in France’s public hospitals, who shown endometriosis symptoms. Far from being as invasive as an MRI, the Endotest consists in a tube women must spit in before sending it to a laboratory. Results are known a few days later. About a dozen days instead of years, a groundbreaking change in the nursing of this disease.
At this stage, the test is not available on the market yet, as it has to be tested before being approved by the Haute Autorité de Santé. The latter is to decide whether the Endotest can enter the treatment journey of patients and be reimbursed by the health insurance. Women should wait a little bit longer as the disease has finally been acknowledged as a long-term illness.
