Polycystic Ovary Syndrome can raise diabetes risk threefold

Wed, 21 Mar 2012
A study undertaken by Cardiff University found that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) were three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The study followed over 100,000 female patients with an average age of 27 years old. 21,734 of the patients selected had PCOS and 86,936 were control patients (without PCOS). The patients with PCOS were divided into two groups. Within the first group, patients with PCOS were matched with patients without PCOS of a similar age and treated at the same practice. In the second group, the patients were matched by practice, age and BMI.

Within the first group, the raised risk of developing type 2 diabetes with PCOS was three times greater. Amongst the group where BMI values were matched, the risk was 1.8 times higher. PCOS is linked with a greater incidence of obesity, and in the first group, women with PCOS had higher BMI values than the women they were matched with. The study found that when BMI increases, the risk of developing diabetes increased.

Dr Aled Rees, consultant endocrinologist at Cardiff University, said: "Our research indicates that close monitoring of PCOS patients who have difficulty managing their weight could help to catch the development of diabetes early."
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