Dyslipidemia with particular regard to apolipoprotein profile in association with polycystic ovary syndrome: A study among Indian women

Objective-To investigate putative dyslipidemia in women with polycystic ova ry syndrome (PCOS) with particular emphasis on specific parameters of ather osclerotic risk, and to assess the independent influence of obesity and hyp erandrogenemia on these parameters. Subjects-Women investigated were among those attending the infertility clinics. Three groups of women were studied : (I) a core study group consisting of oligomenorrhoeic, chronically anovul atory women with or without obesity in whom polycystic ovaries were confirm ed through ultrasound evidence, and were established to be the cause of inf ertility; (II) a control group of non-hirsute, non-obese women with regular menstrual cycles; and (III) a group of controls consisting of women with o besity, but with normal ovarian morphology and regular menstrual cycles. Me thods-All three study groups were investigated for androgen (total testoste rone) and lipid-lipoprotein profile, including apolipoproteins, ApoA1 and A poB. Retrospective analysis of the data was carried out to assess hyperandr ogenism in the study group of women with PCOS as well as to investigate cha nges in the lipid-lipoprotein profile, particularly the measures of cardiov ascular risk, ApoA1 and ApoB. Results-Triglycerides showed a significant in crease in the PCOS group compared to controls, whereas HDL-cholesterol as w ell as HDL-carrying ApoA1 showed a significant decrease (P < .05). Also a s ignificant finding was the decrease in ApoA1/ApoB ratio among the women wit h PCOS compared to both controls and obese women. A direct negative correla tion of this decrease in ApoA1/ApoB ratio with the Body Mass Index was also confirmed in the study. Hyperandrogenemia in terms of significantly raised total testosterone levels was found in 30% of the PCOS women. However, no direct correlation of this increase with changes in lipid-lipoprotein profi le could be observed. Conclusion-The study confirms the trend toward dyslip idemia among women with PCOS, particularly in parameters associated with ca rdiovascular risk. A significant association of obesity rather than raised testosterone with this dyslipidemia was also confirmed by the study.