Higher blood pressure in normal weight women with PCOS compared to controls.
Jan Roar Mellembakken, Azita Mahmoudan, Lars Mørkrid, Inger Sundström-Poromaa, Laure Morin-Papunen, Juha S Tapanainen, Terhi T Piltonen, Angelica Lindén Hirschberg, Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Eszter Vanky, Pernille Ravn, Richard Christian Jensen, Marianne Skovsager Andersen, Dorte Glintborg
Author Information
Jan Roar Mellembakken: Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Reproductive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. ORCID
Azita Mahmoudan: Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Reproductive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Lars Mørkrid: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
Inger Sundström-Poromaa: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Laure Morin-Papunen: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Oulu, University of Oulu, Medical Research Centre Oulu and PEDEGO Research Unit, Oulu, Finland.
Juha S Tapanainen: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Oulu, University of Oulu, Medical Research Centre Oulu and PEDEGO Research Unit, Oulu, Finland.
Terhi T Piltonen: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Oulu, University of Oulu, Medical Research Centre Oulu and PEDEGO Research Unit, Oulu, Finland. ORCID
Angelica Lindén Hirschberg: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden. ORCID
Elisabet Stener-Victorin: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Eszter Vanky: Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, UK.
Pernille Ravn: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Richard Christian Jensen: Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Marianne Skovsager Andersen: Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Dorte Glintborg: Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. ORCID
OBJECTIVE: Obesity is considered to be the strongest predictive factor for cardio-metabolic risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of the study was to compare blood pressure (BP) in normal weight women with PCOS and controls matched for age and BMI. METHODS: From a Nordic cross-sectional base of 2615 individuals of Nordic ethnicity, we studied a sub cohort of 793 normal weight women with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (512 women with PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria and 281 age and BMI-matched controls). Participants underwent measurement of BP and body composition (BMI, waist-hip ratio), lipid status, and fasting BG. Data were presented as median (quartiles). RESULTS: The median age for women with PCOS were 28 (25, 32) years and median BMI was 22.2 (20.7, 23.4) kg/m2. Systolic BP was 118 (109, 128) mmHg in women with PCOS compared to 110 (105, 120) mmHg in controls and diastolic BP was 74 (67, 81) vs 70 (64, 75) mmHg, both P < 0.001. The prevalence of women with BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg was 11.1% (57/512) in women with PCOS vs 1.8% (5/281) in controls, P < 0.001. In women ≥ 35 years the prevalence of BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg was comparable in women with PCOS and controls (12.7% vs 9.8%, P = 0.6). Using multiple regression analyses, the strongest association with BP was found for age, waist circumference, and total cholesterol in women with PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: Normal weight women with PCOS have higher BP than controls. BP and metabolic screening are relevant also in young normal weight women with PCOS.
