title: Endothelial function in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a long-term follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate pulse wave reflection and endothelial-dependent vasodilation in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and age-matched healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Long-term follow-up study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven patients with PCOS and with a mean age of 43.3 years at the follow-up investigation and 66 age-matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aplanation tonometry before and after β-2 receptor agonist (terbutaline) challenge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline augmentation index (AI) aorta, baseline AI-radial, and change in AI-radial after terbutaline administration as a measure of endothelial-dependent vasodilation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in baseline AI-aorta between patients with PCOS and control subjects. Change in AI-radial after terbutaline administration was less pronounced in patients with PCOS compared with control subjects. This difference remained when adjusted for use of combined oral contraceptives (OC)/hormone replacement therapy (HT) and postmenopausal status but not after adjustment for body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Middle-aged patients with PCOS display signs of endothelial dysfunction in comparison to age-matched controls, but this is largely due to the increased prevalence of independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease found in this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. miriam.hudecova@kbh.uu.se
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hudecova
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holte
authors.forename: Matts
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olovsson
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Inger Sundström
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Poromaa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011674:Pulse; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index