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Despite efforts aimed at prevention and treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Many CVD risk factors — vascular dysfunction, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome — are exhibited by women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Table 1 shows the diagnostic criteria for PCOS (Journal Watch Women’s Health Apr 7 2004).
Results of two new studies shed further light on the association between PCOS and CVD.
In a study of asymptomatic coronary atherosclerosis in women with PCOS, Shroff and colleagues assessed coronary artery calcium (CAC) as a marker of coronary atherosclerosis in 24 obese women with PCOS (mean age, 32) and 24 age- and weight-matched controls. The prevalence of CAC…