RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in reproductive-aged polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Thai women. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A Cross sectional study was done at the Gynecologic Endocrinology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of 250 PCOS Thai women who were diagnosed using Revised Rotterdam 2003 criteria, and who did not take medications affecting sex hormones or lipid metabolism, and attended the Gynecologic Endocrinology Unit between May 2007 and January 2009. Patents were interviewed and examined for weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure. Venous blood sample of each patient was drawn after 12-hour fasting. Prevalence of MS determined using the definitions of National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes/American Heart Association (NHLBI/AHA). RESULTS: Mean +/- SD of age, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) were 25.4 +/- 5.8 years, 26.2 +/- 7.6 kg/M2, and 82.3 +/- 16.3 cm, respectively. Prevalence of MS by the definitions of NCEP ATP III, IDF and NHLBI/AHA was 18.0%, 21.2%, and 21.2%, respectively. Of non-MS women, > 40% already had one to two criteria of IDF definition. Among MS women, 100% had central obesity, 50.9% had high blood pressure, 28.3% had impaired fasting blood glucose, 62.3% had hypertriglyceridemia, and 92.5% had high-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 50 mg/dL. The prevalence of MS increased from 10.3% in women aged < 20 years to 50.0% in those aged > or = 40 years (p of trend = 0.003), and from 0.0% in women with BMI < 23 kg/M2 to 54.5% in those with BMI > or = 30 kg/M2 (p of trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MS in reproductive-aged PCOS Thai women was 18.0% by NCEP ATP III and 21.2% by IDF and NHLBI/AHA. The prevalence varies only little with definitions of diagnostic criteria. The prevalence increases with age and body mass index. Slightly more than 40% of the non-MS PCOS Thai women already had one to two criteria of MS.