Endocrine Abstracts

The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has recently gained attention as an anthropometric index showing the highest predictive value for cardiometabolic risk in PCOS and healthy women. Central adiposity is the key driving force behind a constellation of inflammatation linked to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. PCOS is also considered to be linked to chronic inflammatory processes. Platelet count ratio/mean platelet volume (PLT/MPV), lymphocyte–white blood cell count (L/WCC) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are the useful markers of the detection of systemic inflammation. Our aim was to investigate PLT/MPV, L/WCC, NLR, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), ferritin, lipid profile (cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG) and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in 265 patients with PCOS and with or without central obesity classified according to WHtR levels. PCOS was diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria. A WHtR cutoff of 0.5 was used as an universal cutoff for central obesity in adults. Therefore 156 low-WHtR and 88 high-WHtR PCOS patients were included in the study. High-WHtR patients had statistically higher WBC, PLT, PLT/MPV, NLR, ferritin and CRP levels (P>0.05, nonparametric Mann-Whitney test). Cholesterol, LDL and TG levels and HOMA-IR were also higher in high-WHtR PCOS patients. L/WCC was lower in high-WHtR vs. low-WHtR PCOS patients. There was positve correlation between PLT/MPV and CRP, cholesterol, LDL, TG levels and HOMA-IR in all PCOS patients. NLR positively correlated with CRP, LDL, TG and ferritin level, and HOMA-IR. L/WCC was negatively associeted with CRP, TG and ferritin level, and HOMA-IR (nonparametric Spearman monotonic correlation test). Central obesity in PCOS patients was associated with WBC, PLT, PLT/MPV, L/WCC and NLR levels. Further prospective studies concerning inflammation, central obesity and PCOS are needed.