Is hepcidin a new cardiovascular risk marker in polycystic ovary syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive and metabolic abnormalities and carries a number of cardiovascular risk factors. Low-grade chronic inflammation has been thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and PCOS patients have an increased rate of subclinical inflammation. In the present study, considering the major role that hepcidin plays in the regulation of iron metabolism and as an inflammatory marker, we investigated hepcidin in PCOS patients and its role in predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) development.

Forty patients with PCOS and 40 age- and body mass index-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Iron metabolites, insulin resistance (IR), inflammatory markers and hepcidin levels were analyzed.

IR parameters, inflammatory markers, iron parameters and hepcidin levels were similar between the PCOS and control groups. While the inflammatory markers were significantly high in the overweight and obese PCOS subgroup, the hepcidin levels were also high but this elevation was not statistically significant.

Obesity is the principle mechanism of chronic inflammation and IR in PCOS patients. C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 should be used to predict and follow the risk of CVD development in PCOS cases. Hepcidin may be used as an additional marker in the follow-up of PCOS patients in the future.