Higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in African-American women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared with Caucasian counterparts.
BACKGROUND
Studies have demonstrated lipid differences among African-Americans and Caucasians and between women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and normally ovulating women. However, few studies have examined racial differences in lipoprotein levels in women with PCOS.


OBJECTIVE
This study compared lipoprotein levels in African-American and Caucasian women with PCOS.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective chart review of 398 subjects seen as new patients for PCOS at the Duke University Medical Center Endocrinology Clinic in Durham, NC.


METHODS
We identified 126 charts appropriate for review, based on a diagnosis of PCOS (using the 1990 National Institutes of Health criteria), a self-reported race of either Caucasian or African-American, and a body mass index (BMI) higher than 25. We excluded patients taking glucophage, oral contraceptives, or lipid-lowering medications.


METHODS
Age, BMI, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, random triglycerides (TG), and oral glucose tolerance test measurements were collected and included in the analysis.


RESULTS
African-American women with PCOS had higher HDL cholesterol levels (52.6 vs. 47.5 mg/dl, P = 0.019), lower non-HDL cholesterol (134.1 vs. 154.6 mg/dl, P = 0.046), and lower TG levels (97.5 vs. 168.2 mg/dl, P < 0.001) than Caucasian women. These differences could not be attributed to age, BMI, or differences in insulin resistance as determined by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.


CONCLUSIONS
African-American women with PCOS appear to have a more favorable lipid profile than Caucasian women with PCOS having higher HDL cholesterol, lower non-HDL cholesterol, and lower TG when BMI and insulin resistance are equal.
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
Kathryn W
KW
Koval
Tracy L
TL
Setji
Eric
E
Reyes
Ann J
AJ
Brown
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D015854:Up-Regulation; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides