Analysis of Fatty Liver Prevalence in Non-Obese Women Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has various causes that are largely unknown. The present study was aimed to evaluate metabolic and biochemical markers as well as body mass index (BMI) related to PCOS among two groups including patients and healthy controls.

A case-control study included women younger than 45 years who did not suffer from obesity. Women with male-factor infertility served as the control group, while patients detected with PCOS via the Rotterdam criteria made up the case group. There were 86 randomly selected participants in each group. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profiles, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and other biochemical tests were gathered with demographic data, medical records, physical exams and anthropometric measurements. Ultrasound, liver enzyme levels and medical history were utilized to diagnose non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

About 172 women were selected for the research; 86 had PCOS, while the remaining 86 were healthy controls. A younger mean age and a higher BMI were found in women with PCOS. The findings showed that mild to moderate fatty liver was more prevalent in the PCOS group than the control one (P = 0.04). Although metabolic indices, liver enzymes, hematologic parameters and hormone levels did not alter significantly, the PCOS group had lower fasting blood sugar levels (P = 0.029). The correlation between total cholesterol and PCOS was still poor after adjusting for age in logistic regression analysis. Still, it became statistically insignificant after adjusting for BMI index.

Non-obese women with PCOS had a higher prevalence of fatty liver, with minor differences in metabolic parameters, and BMI partly mediated these associations.