Risk factors for coronary artery disease in lean and obese women with the polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The evidence that some women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are hyperinsulinaemic has brought into question their risk of developing early coronary artery disease. We have focused on three cardiac risk factors which have been associated with hyperinsulinaemia by measuring glucose tolerance, fasting serum lipid concentrations and blood pressure in women with PCOS.

DESIGN: Comparison of clinical and biochemical measurements in lean and obese women with PCOS and in women with normal ovaries. Determinants of the risk factors for coronary artery disease were assessed by multiple regression analysis.

PATIENTS: One hundred and two women with ultrasound diagnosed PCOS and 19 lean women with normal ovaries were studied. Patients were recruited from a reproductive endocrine clinic.

MEASUREMENTS: Fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL), HDL2, glucose tolerance, fasting and stimulated insulin, gonadotrophins, testosterone and androstenedione were measured during a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test. Recumbent blood pressure was measured automatically.

RESULTS: Lean women with PCOS were found to be hyperinsulinaemic and have reduced serum HDL and HDL2 concentrations compared to women with normal ovaries; serum insulin concentrations correlated positively with plasma glucose and blood pressure measurements in multiple regression analysis. Obese women with PCOS were in addition found to have higher systolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride and plasma glucose concentration than lean women with PCOS and controls.

CONCLUSIONS: These results support the evidence that hyperinsulinaemic women with PCOS have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and therefore form a population in whom metabolic screening is advisable.