Elevated coagulation and inflammatory markers in adolescents with a history of premature adrenarche

Abstract

Females with a history of premature adrenarche are at high risk of developing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and features of the metabolic syndrome later in life. Coagulation disorders, subclinical inflammation, and oxidative stress have been reported in patients with PCOS and metabolic syndrome. These factors were studied in a group of adolescents with a history of premature adrenarche. This is a cross-sectional study that determined the biochemical-hormonal profile and indices of inflammation, coagulation, and oxidative stress in 45 adolescent girls with a history of premature adrenarche and 19 age- and body mass index–matched controls. Girls with premature adrenarche had hyperandrogenism and higher indices of insulin resistance than controls. They also had significantly higher C-reactive protein (0.76 ± 0.65 vs 0.41 ± 0.31 mg/L, P = .0001) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (37.6 ± 24.7 vs 24.47 ± 4.6 ng/mL, P = .034), and lower tissue plasminogen activator values in comparison with controls (3.5 ± 1.5 vs 5.2 ± 2.12 ng/mL, P = .0019). Both C-reactive protein( r = 0.545, P = .0001) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 ( r = 0.36, P = .04) were positively correlated with oxidative stress, whereas tissue plasminogen activator was positively correlated ( r = 0.37, P = .02) with total antioxidant status. None of these factors was correlated with androgens or indices of insulin resistance. Adolescent girls with a history of premature adrenarche display metabolic deviations usually encountered in subjects with PCOS and metabolic syndrome, such as subclinical inflammation and fibrinolytic abnormalities.