Aim: To estimate the prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2), as well as the predictors for glucose abnormalities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Material and methods: A cross-sectional study with 80 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PCOS who underwent the standard 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the measurement of sex steroid hormone and lipid profile.
Results: According to the results from the OGTT, 63% had a normal test (NT), 23% had IGT, and 9% had DMT2. The NT group was younger with lower BMI than IGT and DMT2 groups (25.1 ± 7.3, 31.5 ± 6.5, 37.4 ± 4.0 years, and 29.1 ± 8.3 kg/m2, 31.7 ± 4.6 kg/m2, and 34.5 ± 5.6 kg/m2, respectively). The testosterone levels were highest in the group with a normal test (2.7 ± 0.8 nmol/l) and lowest in the DMT2 group (1.9 ± 0.8 nmol/L), with statistical significance. The sex hormone bounding globulin (SHBG) levels were low in all three groups, with statistically significant differences between NG and IGT, and the NT and DMT2 groups. The multivariate linear regression model identified age, BMI, SHBG and testosterone as major independent predictors for abnormal glucose metabolism.
Conclusion: It seems that the prevalence of IGT and DMT2 among PCOS women in our country is not as high as in Western countries. Age, BMI, and SHBG increase the risk for the development of IGT and DMT2. Thus, close monitoring of older, obese women with low SHBG is needed because of the higher risk for the development of IGT and DMT2 in such patients.
