Cardio-vascular Profile of Greek Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Styliani Geronikolou ^1,2 Flora Bacopoulou ^1,2 Stavros Chryssanthopoulos ² Dennis Cokkinos ²

¹Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,“Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital
²Clinical, Translational and Experimental Surgery Research Centre, Biomedical Research Foundation of Academy of Athens

Aim: The aim of this case-control study was to examine potential subtle changes in cardiac and vascular function of adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: Nineteen PCOS patients and eighteen body mass index (BMI) - matched non-PCOS controls, aged 13 to 21 years, underwent assessment of (i) baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) as marker of cardiac autonomic system, (ii) pulse wave velocity (PWV) as marker of arterial stiffness (iii) intima media thickness (IMT) as marker of arterial thickness, (iv) abdominal adipose tissue (AAT) as marker of atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome, (v) phase angle (PhA) as marker of inflammation.

Results: Non parametric analysis showed statistically significant differences in PWV (p=0.005) biomarker between PCOS patients and controls. No differences were detected in any other marker studied herein.

Conclusions: Study results showed early onset of vascular dysfunction and predisposition to hypertension in adolescent PCOS.

Styliani Geronikolou

Biomedical Research Foundation of Academy of Athens