The Risks of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Diabetes Vary by Ethnic Subgroup Among Young Asian Women.

Abstract

Previous studies demonstrated that aggregation of Asians into one group masks the variation in type 2 diabetes prevalence across U.S. Asian subgroups. However, fewer studies have assessed Asian ethnic differences in the risk of other conditions associated with insulin resistance and glucose dysregulation. Furthermore, despite the known association of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance (1), the risks of PCOS and diabetes, accounting for differences in adiposity, have not been investigated in the same U.S. Asian subgroup. To better understand the variation in diabetes and PCOS risk in Asians, we examined these clinical conditions among Chinese, Filipina, and South Asian women identified from a large U.S. population cohort. Using data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study of 19,258 Chinese, 23,213 Filipina, and 19,108 South Asian women aged 21–44 years who had ≥1 clinical encounter in 2016 with measured (nongestational) weight and height data for calculation of BMI. Self-identified race/ethnicity was derived from electronic health record and survey data, including primary language in a subset, and assignment by ethnic surname was used for Asian women without specified ethnicity (25.2% Chinese, 16.8% Filipina, and 33.9% South Asian). Obesity was classified based on the lower intervention threshold (BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2) recommended for Asians by the American Diabetes Association (2). Smoking status was identified using electronic health …