Assessment of insulin resistance in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether serum levels of potential markers could detect insulin resistance (IR) in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).


METHODS
Serum levels of fasting glucose, insulin, intact proinsulin, resistin, and adiponectin were measured in 50 women with PCOS and known homeostatic model assessment (HOMA)-IR values (>or=2 indicating IR). The women were all younger than 25 years.


RESULTS
Of the 50 women, 49 had undetectable levels of resistin, 50 had intact proinsulin levels within the normal range, and 50 had adiponectin levels of 8.4+/-3.3 mg/L, just below the normal range. When groups were compared, however, the 26 women (52%) with IR (HOMA-IR values >or=2) had significantly higher intact proinsulin levels (3.2+/-2.0 pmol/L vs 1.8+/-1.0 pmol/L; P<0.005) and significantly lower adiponectin levels (7.2+/-2.9 mg/L vs 9.7+/-3.3 mg/L; P<0.01), than the 24 women (48%) without IR.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum levels of intact proinsulin, resistin, or adiponectin were not detectors of IR in individual young women with PCOS.
Jensterle
Mojca
M
Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mojcajensterle@yahoo.com
Weber
Matthias
M
Pfeifer
Marija
M
Prezelj
Janez
J
Pfutzner
Andreas
A
Janez
Andrej
A
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011384:Proinsulin / Q000097:blood; D052243:Resistin / Q000097:blood
D052242:Adiponectin; D052243:Resistin; D011384:Proinsulin