PCOS Patients Should Be Monitored for Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by anovulation and hyperandrogenism. Associated perturbations of carbohydrate metabolism only recently have been appreciated, and many women with PCOS show symptoms of the so-called syndrome X -- specifically, obesity, hypertension, and abnormal lipid function. These Czech researchers determined the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in 50 women with PCOS and in 335 female controls (mean age in both groups, approximately 30).

Mean BMI was significantly higher among PCOS patients than among controls. Even after adjustment for BMI, PCOS patients had significantly higher mean blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels and a significantly lower mean HDL cholesterol level and HDL cholesterol…