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. 2012 Fall;10(4):611-8.
doi: 10.5812/ijem.4020. Epub 2012 Sep 30.

Cardiovascular Risk in Women With PCOS

Pietro Scicchitano  1 , Ilaria Dentamaro, Rosa Carbonara, Gabriella Bulzis, Annamaria Dachille, Paola Caputo, Roberta Riccardi, Manuela Locorotondo, Cosimo Mandurino, Marco Matteo Ciccone
Affiliations

Cardiovascular Risk in Women With PCOS

Pietro Scicchitano et al. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Fall.

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is a common endocrine disorder defined by two of the three following features: i) oligoovulation or anovulation, ii) clinical and/or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism, or iii) polycystic ovaries, once the related endocrinological and gynaecological disorders have been excluded. PCOS does not exclusively involve the reproductive apparatus , it has a complex number of systemic relevancy symptoms. It leads to Metabolic Syndrome, with severe consequences on the cardiovascular apparatus. Many clinical studies have underlined the connection between PCOS and the cardiovascular risk profile of such female patients, due to a lipid/glucose altered metabolism, hypertension, systemic inflammatory condition (assessable by markers such as VES, TNF-alfa, citokines and C-reactive protein (hsPCR) levels), and vascular injuries. Considering the early onset of the disease, PCOS could be considered as a real cardiovascular risk factor which affects the quality of life seriously. The current review aimed to point out the main connections between PCOS and cardiovascular risk factors according to the latest findings coming from literature data analysis, and try to depict the great influences that such a common disease can have on the patients' health integrity.

Keywords: Cardiovascular Risk; Diabetes; Hypertension; Metabolic Syndrome; PCOS.

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