Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among women with different PCOS phenotypes - a prospective study

To study prevalence of different polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes in our population and to compare the anthropometric measurements and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors among different phenotypes.

Two hundred and forty-eight PCOS women were prospectively classified into four phenotypes based on Rotterdam criteria, over a period of 18 months from June 2018 to November 2019. MetS was defined as per International diabetes federation consensus held in 2009. To evaluate the prevalence of MetS, we measured serum triglyceride levels, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and waist circumference.

The mean age group of the study population was 23.16 ± 4.42, with maximum cases belonging to 20-25 years age group (40.72%). The prevalence of Phenotypes A, B, C, and D were 36.7%, 10.1%, 4.4%, and 48.8%, respectively. Phenotype D had the highest prevalence of MetS (14.9%). Phenotype A had significantly higher waist circumference, hip circumference, cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL values as compared to Phenotype D (p<.05).

Phenotype A was at higher risk of adverse MetS risk profile. The overall prevalence of MetS was quite low as compared to similar Indian studies. A substantial proportion of study cohort had higher waist circumference (almost 60%) and lower HDL levels (88.70% cases), hence all women with PCOS should be screened for metabolic profile risk factors at a young age itself.