Endothelial function and its relationship to leptin, homocysteine, and insulin resistance in lean and overweight eumenorrheic women and PCOS patients: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE

To verify if patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), have an increased cardiovascular risk compared with healthy controls.

DESIGN

Prospective case-control study.

SETTING

University-based practice.

PATIENT(S): Twenty eumenorrheic controls (ten lean [group A] and ten overweight [group B]) and 24 PCOS women (14 lean [group C] and ten overweight [group D]).

INTERVENTION(S): Cardiovascular risk markers and hormonal parameters were assessed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Androgens, fasting glucose, insulin, leptin, fibrinogen, homocysteine, endothelin-1 and flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery were measured to investigate their relationship to weight and to PCOS.

RESULT(S): The brachial artery diameter and the pulsatility index, after the reactive hyperemia, showed in group A the most intense vasodilatation compared with the other groups. Homocysteine levels did not differ among the groups. Endothelin-1 was significantly higher in group A compared with groups B and D. Leptin was significantly lower in groups A and C compared with groups B and D. Insulin resistance was higher in groups B and D. Group A had significantly higher glucose-insulin ratio compared with all of the other groups; group C had significantly higher glucose-insulin ratio only compared with group D.

CONCLUSION(S): Weight and PCOS are two independent variables affecting the endothelial function.