Cardiac Functions and Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients have been described as having subclinical cardiac and vascular damage; nevertheless, research data is contradictory. We aimed to assess global cardiac functions, peripheral arterial stiffness (AS), and the relationships between echocardiographic and AS measurements in patients with PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 42 consecutive PCOS patients and 32 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent a comprehensive two-dimensional echocardiographic examination. Applanation tonometry was utilized to determine peripheral AS [carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx)] in each participant. In addition, we evaluated the correlation between AS and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: The PCOS and control groups had similar ages and BMIs. Right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) diameters, LV mass, and LV ejection fraction were similar between the groups. Considering the pulse wave and tissue Doppler parameters of the cardiac functions, the LV septal S’, LV Tei index, RV S’, RV Tei index, and E/E’ ratio were comparable between the two groups. Peripheral AS parameters including, PWV and AIx were higher in those patients with PCOS [19.3±12.5 vs. 12.5±9.6; p=0.01 and 5 (4.7-5.5) vs. 4.4 (4.2-4.8); p=0.0001, respectively]. AS parameters were not correlated with echocardiographic parameters. CONCLUSION: Despite normal echocardiographic LV and RV functions, women with PCOS had increased AS. There was no correlation between echocardiographic and AS parameters in these patients.