Association of polycystic ovary syndrome and a non-dipping blood pressure pattern in young women.
OBJECTIVE
The association between polycystic ovarian syndrome and increased cardiovascular disease risk is still a controversial issue. In light of data documenting some common pathways or common end-points, the present study was undertaken to determine whether there is a relationship between sleep blood pressure pattern disturbances and polycystic ovarian syndrome in young women.


METHODS
The daytime and nighttime ambulatory blood pressures (BPs) were determined for each subject, according to the actual waking and sleeping times recorded in their individual diaries, in this cross-sectional study.


RESULTS
The study group comprised 168 women (mean age: 25.7+/-5.5) diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, while the control group included 52 age- and BMI-matched healthy subjects (mean age: 26.1+/-5.4). When nocturnal BP declines very little or not at all, with the BP falling less than 10% during sleep compared with waking values, this pattern is classified as a non-dipping BP pattern. However, the non-dipping pattern of BP changes was significantly more common in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients compared to the control group (p<0.01). The prevalence of a non-dipping BP pattern was 43.4% (73 patients) in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients and 3.9% (2 patients) in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our cross-sectional study revealed that a non-dipping BP pattern is highly prevalent in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients, even if they are young and non-obese.
Department of Internal Medicine, Fatih University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
Ayse
A
Kargili
Feridun
F
Karakurt
Benan
B
Kasapoglu
Aysel
A
Derbent
Cemile
C
Koca
Yusuf
Y
Selcoki
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult