Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is considered predominantly as a hyperandrogenetic syndrome and the evaluation of metabolic parameters and insulin sensitivity is not mandatory.
Context: PCOS diagnostic criteria [National Institute of Health (NIH), Rotterdam Consensus (ROT), Androgen Excess Society (AES)] are unanimous recognized. We aimed to assess in women with suspected PCOS whether the application of the three diagnostic criteria differently characterizes the metabolic profile and insulin sensitivity.
Design: Retrospective study in a cohort of women admitted to our Outpatient Clinic for suspected PCOS.
Patients: Two hundred and four women with suspected PCOS in comparison to a group of normal, age-matched Sicilian women (N = 34) without signs of metabolic syndrome.
Measurements: We evaluated hyperandrogenaemia and clinical hyperandrogenism, ovarian morphology, hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis and metabolic syndrome parameters. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; 75 g glucose) measured areas under the curve (AUC) for insulin, C peptide and homeostasis model assessment of insulin-resistance (HOMA-IR) were performed.
Results: The prevalence of PCOS was 51% according to NIH, 83% to ROT and 70.6% to AES, and only 100 patients were qualified simultaneously under these three criteria. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in PCOS women was 26.92% (NIH), 21.77% (ROT) and 23.61% (AES), respectively. In comparison to healthy women, PCOS women showed increased fasting insulinaemia (PCOS/ROT: P = 0.028; PCOS/NIH: P = 0.007; PCOS/EAS: P = 0.023), 120 min insulin after OGTT insulinaemia (for the three criteria: P < 0.001), AUC(2h) insulin (for the three criteria: P < 0.001) and AUC(2h) C peptide (for the three criteria: P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Our study highlights the fact that regardless of the diagnostic criteria used, evaluation of the metabolic parameters and insulin sensitivity is important for a correct diagnosis of PCOS and a therapeutic approach.