Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Uric acid may increase cardiovascular risk, exerting proinflammatory, pro-oxidant and proliferative actions at the endothelial cell level. Classic and non-classic cardiovascular risk markers cluster in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), uric acid being proposed as one of them. The studies available at present regarding serum uric acid levels in PCOS patients are scarce and controversial. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between uric acid, obesity and insulin resistance in obese and non-obese patients with PCOS.

Methods: Thirty-eight overweight and obese women with PCOS and 30 controls matched for age and BMI were included in this study. Anthropometric variables, hormonal and metabolic profiles including measurements of uric acid and insulin levels were evaluated in both groups. Insulin resistance was quantified by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA).

Results: We did not find any statistically significant differences in uric acid levels between PCOS women and controls, but obese PCOS patients had significantly higher levels of uric acid compared to overweight women with PCOS. Obese patients with PCOS also had significantly higher levels of HOMA compared with overweight women with PCOS. In the control group, even the levels of uric acid was higher in obese compared to overweight women, the difference was not statistically significant. A significant positive correlation was found between uric acid levels and BMI, waist circumference, insulin levels and HOMA in PCOS group. Using stepwise linear regression analysis, only BMI which was responsible of 42.1% of the variability observed in serum uric acid concentrations, was retained by the regression model.

Conclusions: Our results suggests that obesity is the main determinant of plasma uric acid concentrations in PCOS patients. Insulin and HOMA are also involved in a lesser extent, but their role remain to be clarified in further studies.