Endothelial function in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a long-term follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate pulse wave reflection and endothelial-dependent vasodilation in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and age-matched healthy controls.

DESIGN

Long-term follow-up study.

SETTING

Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

PATIENT(S): Sixty-seven patients with PCOS and with a mean age of 43.3 years at the follow-up investigation and 66 age-matched controls.

INTERVENTION(S): Aplanation tonometry before and after β-2 receptor agonist (terbutaline) challenge.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Baseline augmentation index (AI) aorta, baseline AI-radial, and change in AI-radial after terbutaline administration as a measure of endothelial-dependent vasodilation.

RESULT(S): There was no difference in baseline AI-aorta between patients with PCOS and control subjects. Change in AI-radial after terbutaline administration was less pronounced in patients with PCOS compared with control subjects. This difference remained when adjusted for use of combined oral contraceptives (OC)/hormone replacement therapy (HT) and postmenopausal status but not after adjustment for body mass index (BMI).

CONCLUSION(S): Middle-aged patients with PCOS display signs of endothelial dysfunction in comparison to age-matched controls, but this is largely due to the increased prevalence of independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease found in this group.