Friday November 24 11:08 AM ET
Ovary Syndrome Linked to Women's Artery Disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A common ovarian syndrome may speed hardening of the arteries in middle-aged women, according to researchers.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)--a hormonal disorder characterized by a tendency toward obesity, diabetes and male attributes such as excess body hair--''may be at high risk for cardiovascular disease,'' write researchers led by Dr. Eveyln Talbott, of the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They published their findings in the November issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, a journal of the American Heart Association (news - web sites).

The exact causes of PCOS, which affects about 4% to 6% of women of childbearing age, remain unclear. Women with PCOS have higher-than-average levels of male hormones, and often develop multiple cysts on their ovaries, which may be seen on ultrasound screening. The condition is usually treated with hormonal therapies.

In their study, Talbott's team collected data on about 270 women over 30 years of age, half of whom were diagnosed with PCOS.

The investigators used ultrasounds to measure the build-up of fatty plaques on artery walls in each of the women.

The authors report finding ``a significant difference'' in plaque build-up--or ``hardening of the arteries''--in women with PCOS versus those who did not have the syndrome. Specifically, over 7% of women with PCOS were found to have high levels of arterial plaque, compared with just 0.7% of (''control'') women without the disorder.

These differences seemed to widen with increasing age. Talbott told Reuters Health that ``in women who were 30 to 44 years of age, the (plaque build-up) levels were not significantly different from those of the controls.'' However, the researchers found ``significant differences'' among women 45 years of age or older.

Experts have theorized that links between PCOS and arterial disease may rest on the tendency toward obesity among women with the syndrome, since obesity is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

However, Talbott noted that increases in arterial plaque build-up occurred ``not only for heavier PCOS women, but we also saw it in our thinner PCOS women.''

For now, the researchers believe that certain characteristics of PCOS--including weight gain--explain ``in part'' the tendency of affected women to have poorer arterial health. However, they believe there may also be ``an independent effect of PCOS unexplained by (these risk factors)'' that may also be speeding hardening of the arteries in PCOS patients.

SOURCE: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2000;20:2414-

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