Association of polycystic ovary syndrome and Graves' disease: Is autoimmunity the link between the two diseases.

INTRODUCTION

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy of women of child-bearing age. Although some studies have suggested an association between PCOS and autoimmune thyroiditis, to our knowledge, only a few cases indicating association between PCOS and Graves' disease are reported.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to describe this first case series of six women presenting with PCOS and Graves' disease together.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Women attending the endocrinology clinic at a tertiary care centre in north India and fulfilling the AE-PCOS criteria for diagnosis of PCOS were studied using a predefined proforma for any clinical, biochemical and imaging features of Graves' disease.

RESULTS

The series consisted of six women with a mean age of 27.5 years and menarche as 12.6 years. All women were lean with mean BMI of 22.73 kg / m(2) and three out of six had waist circumference <80 cm. The mean FG score of subjects was 16.66 and average total testosterone was 77.02 ng / dl (25.0-119.64). All the patients had suppressed TSH, the average being 0.052 μIU/ml (0.01-0.15). Thyroid gland was enlarged in all clinically and on ultrasonography and imaging with (99m)Tc and/or RAIU revealed diffuse increased uptake.

CONCLUSIONS

The association of a rare disorder like Graves' disease with a relatively common disorder like PCOS is unlikely to be because of a chance alone and may point to a common aetiopathogenic linkage leaving a scope for molecular characterization.