Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors associated with the insulin resistance syndrome: assessment by principal component analysis in young hyperandrogenic women.
OBJECTIVE
Hyperinsulinemia is often associated with several metabolic abnormalities and increased blood pressure, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It has been hypothesized that insulin resistance may underlie all these features. However, recent data suggest that some links between insulin resistance and these alterations may be indirect. The aim of our study was to further investigate this issue in a sample of young hyperandrogenic women, who often show insulin resistance and other metabolic abnormalities typical of the insulin resistance syndrome.


METHODS
We tested the hypothesis of a single factor underlying these features by principal component analysis, which should recognize one component if a single mechanism explains this association. The analysis was carried out in a sample of 255 young nondiabetic hyperandrogenic women. Variables selected for this analysis included the basic features of the insulin resistance syndrome and some endocrine parameters related to hyperandrogenism.


RESULTS
Principal component analysis identified four separate factors, explaining 64.5% of the total variance in the data: the first included fasting and postchallenge insulin levels, BMI, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and uric acid; the second, BMI, blood pressure, and serum free testosterone; the third, fasting plasma glucose, postchallenge glucose and insulin levels, serum triglycerides, and free testosterone; and the fourth, postchallenge plasma insulin, serum free testosterone, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist-stimulated 17-hydroxyprogesterone.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support the hypothesis of multiple determinants in the clustering of abnormalities in the so-called insulin resistance syndrome.
Zanolin
M Elisabetta
ME
Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Public Medicine and Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Tosi
Flavia
F
Zoppini
Giacomo
G
Castello
Roberto
R
Spiazzi
Giovanna
G
Dorizzi
Romolo
R
Muggeo
Michele
M
Moghetti
Paolo
P
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D017588:Hyperandrogenism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D014527:Uric Acid