Prevalence and risk factors of polycystic ovarian syndrome among an ethnically diverse overweight/obese adolescent population

Jacqueline Maya; Janet Siegel; Tina Q Cheng; Thaina Rousseau-Pierre

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2019-0109

Prevalence and risk factors of polycystic ovarian syndrome among an ethnically diverse overweight/obese adolescent population

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2020 Jan 11;34(1). doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2019-0109.

Authors

Jacqueline Maya¹, Janet Siegel², Tina Q Cheng³, Thaina Rousseau-Pierre²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst, NY, USA.
² Adolescent Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst, NY, USA.
³ Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst, NY, USA.

PMID: 31926080
DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2019-0109

Abstract

Background: More remains to be known about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) among overweight/obese adolescents across different ethnicities especially in regards to mental illness as an associated comorbidity.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of PCOS among overweight and obese adolescents and to evaluate known risk factors for PCOS in a diverse population.

Methods: Charts of patients at an Adolescent Clinic between April 1, 2016 and July 30, 2018 were filtered using: obese, overweight and body mass index (BMI) >85%. Charts were reviewed to identify the presence of PCOS using National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria, race/ethnicity and known risk factors for PCOS [lipid, BMI, glycated hemoglobin (HA_1c), blood pressure (BP)] and mental health conditions associated with PCOS (anxiety/depression and self-harm/suicidal ideation).

Results: Patients with PCOS were more likely to have elevated lipids (19.6% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.05), be obese (67.4% vs. 50.9%, p = 0.03), and have acanthosis nigricans (68.9% vs. 28.2%, p =< 0.001). PCOS was more common among non-Hispanic patients (77.9%) vs. Hispanic patients (57.8%). There was no difference in the prevalence of depression/anxiety (37% vs. 33%, respectively, p = 0.590) or self - harm/suicidal ideation (17% vs. 17%, p = 0.96) in patients with and without PCOS. In a logistic regression model, after adjusting for all demographics and clinical features, ethnicity, acanthosis nigricans and BMI were significant risk factors for PCOS.

Conclusion: Patients with PCOS are more likely to be obese, hyperlipidemic, have acanthosis nigricans and be of non-Hispanic ethnicity. However, there was no difference in the prevalence of depression/anxiety and self-harm/suicidal ideation among adolescents with or without PCOS.

Keywords: adolescents; mental health; obesity; overweight; polycystic ovary syndrome; risk factors; young adult.