High sensitivity-c reactive protein as an additional marker for increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients of polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age group with a worldwide prevalence of about 4 to12%1,2. PCOS is seen in up to 25% of the Caucasians and 50% of the South Asian women respectively3,4. It is a heterogeneous disorder of unknown aetiology with a strong genetic element5. 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 system6. The precise cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women with PCOS remains unclear because there are no longitudinal studies pertaining to cardiovascular events. There is a paucity of data in regard to cardiovascular event rates and mortality in PCOS hence the present study was aimed to assess cardiovascular disease risk in women with PCOS. Aim: To evaluate cardiovascular disease risk in women with Polycystic ovary syndrome. Materials and Methods: 50 diagnosed cases of PCOS and 50 age matched healthy females were included in this study. Cases were diagnosed based on new Rotterdam criteria formulated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Blood samples were collected after overnight fasting. Serum High sensitivity-C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Total Cholesterol(TC), Triglycerides(TG), HDL Cholesterol(HDL-C), VLDL Cholesterol(VLDL-C), LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C) were estimated. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for women in both the groups. Statistical analysis: Results were analyzed using unpaired t-test and p-value was calculated. BMI was correlated with hs-CRP using one way ANOVA test. Statistically non-significant increased levels of serum total cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and hs-CRP in PCOS cases as compared with control were observed. BMI was found to be significantly inc