Prz Menopauzalny. 2014 Dec;13(6):348-51. doi: 10.5114/pm.2014.47988. Epub 2014 Dec 30.
- 1Department
of Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, Poland ;
Department of Endocrinology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
- 2Department of Endocrinology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
- 33 Chair and Department of Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
- 4Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Abstract
Polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hyperandrogenic disorder, is the commonest
endocrinopathy in premenopausal women. This syndrome is associated with fertility
problems, clinical manifestations of hyperandrogenism and metabolic
disturbances, particularly insulin resistance and obesity. There is a
great body of evidence that patients with PCOS present multiple
cardiovascular risk factors and cluster components of metabolic syndrome
from early ages. The presence of comorbidities such as abdominal
obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension places these
females at an increased risk of future cardiovascular events. However,
the extent to which PCOS components are present in perimenopausal women
and the degree to which PCOS increases various risk factors in addition
to the known risk of the perimenopausal period have not been fully
determined. The perimenopausal period per se is associated with weight
gain and an increased cardiovascular risk, which may be additionally
aggravated by the presence of metabolic disturbances connected with
PCOS. The phenotype of PCOS may improve with aging and it is still
uncertain whether the presence of PCOS significantly increases the
cardiovascular risk later in women's life. Most recent data suggest that
the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and the related long-term
consequences in females with PCOS seem to be lower than expected. This
manuscript reviews long-term consequences of PCOS and considers their
clinical implications in perimenopause.
KEYWORDS:
PCOS; cardiovascular risk; insulin resistance; menopause; perimenopause