Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and its Relationship with Cardiovascular Disease
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is a disease characterised by chronic anovulation and hyperandrogenis. The prevalence of PCOS varies depending on which criteria are used to make the diagnosis. Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are two potential, major, long-term sequelae of this condition that need to be examined. Although PCOS is increasingly defined as being associated with numerous cardiovascular risk factors such as insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia eg., there is no definitive evidence for increased cardiovascular events in PCOS. This article aims to review the spectrum of cardiovascular risk factors, the cardiovascular epidemiology and especially the most recent studies of subclinical cardiovascular disease in PCOS, examining cardiovascular structure and function.
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