Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age. It is now recognized as not only a reproductive but also a metabolic disorder with co-morbidities, such as; diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, etc. All these metabolic abnormalities predispose women with PCOS to atherosclerosis. Plasma viscosity is a major determinant of blood flow in microcirculation. Preliminary data indicate that elevated plasma viscosity is an early predictor of cardiovascular disease.

Materials and method: To investigate the correlation between plasma viscosity and cardiovascular risk factors, 96 patients with PCOS and 67 age and body-mass-index matched healthy controls were recruited. Hormonal profiles, lipid parameters, plasma glucose, insulin and fibrinogen levels were evaluated. ‘Homeostasis Model Assesment of Insulin Resistance’ (HOMA-IR) formula was used to calculate insulin sensitivity. EDTA-blood was centrifuged and a Brookfield DV- II Pro Viscometer was used to measure plasma viscosity.

Results: Plasma viscosity was significantly elevated in PCOS patients; 1.47±0.28 vs 1.34±0.25 mPas, (P=0.004). The study group had higher HOMA-IR, fibrinogen and triglyceride levels; 2.8 vs 2.16 and 3.57±0.92 vs 3.27±0.66 (g/l) and 109 vs 87.95 (mg/dl), (P=0.017, P=0.022, P=0.002) respectively. Plasma viscosity exhibited statistically significant positive correlation with fibrinogen (r=0.223, P=0.029) and negative correlation with DHEA-S levels (r=−0.211, P=0.04). No correlation was detected between plasma viscosity and other biochemical parameters.

Conclusion: Plasma viscosity is an important hemorrheologic parameter and directly determines blood flow at the microcirculatory level. In this study, we clearly demonstrated that plasma viscosity is increased in patients with PCOS, indicating that they had high cardiovascular risk.