PCOS Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a recent study.

PCOS has been associated with insulin resistance and obesity, but its relationship with type 2 diabetes is not well defined.
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For their study, the researchers examined data from 19,639 premenopausal women who had been diagnosed with PCOS and a control population of 54,680 women without PCOS or diabetes.

Over a median follow-up of 11.1 years, the hazard ratio for development of type 2 diabetes in women with PCOS was 4.0 and the total event rate was 8 per 1000 patient years compared with 2 per 1000 patients years in the control cohort.

After multiple regression analyses, the researchers found that body mass index, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and triglycerides were all positively associated with the development of diabetes.

The researchers noted that further research is needed to examine the impact of oral contraceptives and the number of births on type 2 diabetes risk in women with PCOS.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Rubin KH, Glintborg D, Nybo M, et al. Development and risk factors of type 2 diabetes in a nationwide population of women with polycystic ovary syndrome [published online August 29, 2017]. JCEM. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2017-01354.