BACKGROUND: Although dyslipidemia is common in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), current diagnostic guidelines suggest to evaluate only plasma HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, assuming that, in this disorder, cardiovascular risk is mainly due to the presence of the metabolic syndrome (MS). In the US, MS has been found in up to 50 of PCOS, but in other countries its prevalence is lower. METHODS: We compared the prevalence of MS with that of increased LDL- and non-HDL-cholesterol levels in 350 Mediterranean PCOS women (244 anovulatory and 106 ovulatory), and 95 normo-weight and 90 body mass index (BMI)- matched controls. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS was 7.1 in PCOS, higher than normoweight and BMI-matched controls (2.4 and 3.5, respectively, p<0.05 for both). The prevalence of elevated LDL- and non-HDL-cholesterol levels in PCOS was respectively, 14.9 and 8.6, higher than normoweight (2.1 and 1.0, respectively, p<0.01 for both) and BMI-matched controls (4.4 and 2.2, respectively, p<0.05 for both). In PCOS, increased LDL-cholesterol was twice more prevalent than MS or non-HDL-cholesterol. Only a minority of PCOS with MS had increased LDL-cholesterol while increased non-HDL-cholesterol was generally associated to increased LDL-cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: We have found that in Mediterranean PCOS the prevalence of MS is relatively low while elevated LDL-cholesterol levels are more prevalent. Therefore, beyond MS, a more comprehensive lipid evaluation, including LDL-cholesterol, is needed for a more effective assessment of cardiovascular risk in PCOS.
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