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. 2020 Feb;92(2):150-158.
doi: 10.1111/cen.14117. Epub 2019 Nov 24.

The cardiovascular risk profile of middle-aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Cindy Meun  1 , Marlise N Gunning  2 , Yvonne V Louwers  1 , Henrike Peters  3 , Jolien Roos-Hesselink  4 , Jeanine Roeters van Lennep  5 , Oscar-Leonel Rueda Ochoa  6   7 , Yolande Appelman  8 , Nils Lambalk  3 , Eric Boersma  4 , Maryam Kavousi  6 , Bart Cjm Fauser  2 , Joop Se Laven  1 ; CREW consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations

The cardiovascular risk profile of middle-aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Cindy Meun et al. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: Contradictory results have been reported regarding the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed the cardiometabolic phenotype and prevalence of CVD in middle-aged women with PCOS, compared with age-matched controls from the general population, and estimated 10-year CVD risk and cardiovascular health score.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Participants: 200 women aged >45 with PCOS, and 200 age-matched controls.

Measurements: Anthropometrics, insulin, lipid levels, prevalence of metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. Ten-year Framingham risk score and the cardiovascular health score were calculated, and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) was measured.

Results: Mean age was 50.5 years (SD = 5.5) in women with PCOS and 51.0 years (SD = 5.2) in controls. Increased waist circumference, body mass index and hypertension were more often observed in women with PCOS (P < .001). In women with PCOS, the prevalence of type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome was not significantly increased and lipid levels were not different from controls. cIMT was lower in women with PCOS (P < .001). Calculated cardiovascular health and 10-year CVD risk were similar in women with PCOS and controls.

Conclusions: Middle-aged women with PCOS exhibit only a moderately unfavourable cardiometabolic profile compared to age-matched controls, even though they present with an increased BMI and waist circumference. Furthermore, we found no evidence for increased (10-year) CVD risk or more severe atherosclerosis compared with controls from the general population. Long-term follow-up of women with PCOS is necessary to provide a definitive answer concerning long-term risk for CVD.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease (7); polycystic ovary syndrome.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ten‐year risk for CVD in women with PCOS and controls. The 10‐year risk for CVD in women with PCOS and age‐matched controls. A risk of <10% was marked as low risk, 10%‐20% as intermediate and >20% as high risk. Abbreviations: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), not significant (NS)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Performance of women with PCOS and controls on cardiovascular health metrics. Prevalence (%) of poor, intermediate and ideal cardiovascular heath metrics in women diagnosed with PCOS and controls. A *denotes statistical significance of <0.01, **denotes a statistical significance of <0.001. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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