Scientific News  Health care Cardiovascular diseases POLYCYSTOUS OVARY SYNDROME MIGHT RESULT IN WOMAN'S PREMATURE ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Polycystous
ovary syndrome might result in woman’s premature atherosclerosis
Young women diagnosed with
polycystous ovary syndrome (PCOS) have abnormalities related to ovary
disfunction, which, in its turn, might lead to premature atherosclerosis in mean
age. That were the results obtained by scientists of the University of
Pittsburgh.
PCOS is one of the typical
women’s reproductive organ disease: in the USA, 5% of women have such a
disease. The disease is featured by a delay in menstrual cycle, sterility, high
insulin level in a blood, and, very often, fatness.
Women suffering from PCOS are
subjected to a high risk of getting atherosclerosis in mean age, even though
they don’t have an overweight, hypertensia, and diabetes.
Despite the dangers stated above,
PCOS very often remains unidentified in medical examinations at the early stage
of its development. Gynecologists usually notice the abnormality when a
menstrual cycle delays or sterility occurs.
Since PCOS might assist in
developing atherosclerosis, women suffering from PCOS are in the largest group
subjected to risk of cardiovascular disease development. That’s why it’s
important for gynecologists to pay more attention to an issue of menstrual cycle
delay to start treating the disease at the early stage.
Ultraechography of neck arteries
of all participants of the survey (125 women suffering from PCOS, and 142 women
who don’t have this disease) was carried out to assess the presence of a
carotid spot or carotid swelling on artery walls, which are a sign of
atherosclerosis. Theses abnormalities also allow to predict cardiovascular
disease development.
It was found that the high risk
group amounted to 21.6% of the PCOS-suffering women, as compared with 15.5% of
the group healthy women were included in. It was also found that at 45 years the
percentage of high-risky women group sharply grew in the PCOS-suffering group,
while in the other group this share was practically unchanged. To obtain truly
results, such factors as overweight, hypertensia, and diabetes, initiating
atherosclerosis development, were excluded.
The National Institutes for
Health supports the research. A sum of USD 1.7 bln will be channeled to assess
the PCOS impact on women’s carotid atherosclerosis development over a 5-year
term. The study is planned to begin in March, 2001, and will include application
of a computer tomography.
Publishing date: November 16, 2000
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