Oxidative stress, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in young patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

E Benelli; L Ghiadoni; D Giannini; E Rinaldi; Y Plantinga; C Taurino; A Burelli; GP Bernini; A Pinchera; E Pucci

P691

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Endocrine Abstracts (2006) 11 P691

ECE2006 Poster Presentations Reproduction (80 abstracts)

Oxidative stress, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in young patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

E Benelli ¹ , L Ghiadoni ² , D Giannini ² , E Rinaldi ¹ , Y Plantinga ² , C Taurino ² , A Burelli ¹ , GP Bernini ² , A Pinchera ¹ & E Pucci ¹

Err

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¹Dipartimento di Endocrinologia, Pisa, Italy; ²Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Pisa, Italy.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is currently believed a common endocrine-plurimetabolic disorder often associated to insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperandrogenism, dyslipidemia and obesity, pathological conditions predisposing to high cardiovascular risk. Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction could represent early mechanisms of the cardiovascular risk in patients with PCOS. In order to confirm this hypothesis, 25 young (23.8±1.3 yr), over-weight/obese (31.5±1.5 Kg/m²) PCOS women and 16 healthy age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls were enrolled. Blood pressure, oxidative stress markers (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma, FRAP; Lipoperoxides, LOOH; Malonilaldeide, MDA), endothelium dependent (post-ischemic flow mediated dilation, FMD) and independent vasodilation (response to sub-lingual nitroglycerine, NTG) in brachial artery and peripheral vascular stiffness (Augmentation Index, AIX, and pulse wave velocity, PWV), were investigated in both groups. Results obtained in PCOS women did not significantly differ from those obtained in controls concerning blood pressure (122.4±2.1/80.1±1.6 vs 123.1±4.7/84.4±4.0 mmHg), oxidative stress markers (FRAP: 736.5±31.1 vs 639.6±32.0 μmol/l; LOOH: 3.7±0.37 vs 3.2±0.55 μmol/l; MDA: 2.56±0.5 vs 2.0±0.24 μmol/l), endothelial function (FMD: 8.5±0.7 vs 8.95±0.76%; NTG: 11.7±0.98 vs 13.17±1.21%) and peripheral vascular stiffness (AIX: 6.72±1.71 vs 8.21±3.02%; PWV: 5.61±0.13 vs 6.04±19%). Our results indicate that young and over-weight/obese patients with PCOS show, despite an adverse clinical assessment, an haemodynamic picture, oxidative stress profile, conduit vascular reactivity and arterial stiffness comparable to those of age- and BMI- matched controls, suggesting that these patients are not exposed to an early and higher cardiovascular risk, at least in young age.