Women with PCOS Have an Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Regardless of Diagnostic Criteria-a Prospective Population-based Cohort Study

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with many cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. However, it remains debatable whether the presence of multiple CVD risk factors translates to increased CVD events.

Design: A prospective, population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

Methods: Individuals with an expected date of birth in 1966 in Northern Finland have been followed from birth. Women in the cohort were classified as having PCOS according to either the National Institute of Health (NIH) criteria (n = 144) or the Rotterdam criteria (n = 386) at age 31, and they were compared to women without any PCOS features. The study population was re-examined at age 46, and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, was recorded up to age 53.

Results: During the 22-year follow-up, both women with NIH-PCOS and women with Rotterdam-PCOS had a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular events than control women. The BMI-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for MACE in the Rotterdam-PCOS group and the NIH-PCOS group was 2.33 (1.26-4.30) and 2.47 (1.18-5.17), respectively. The cumulative hazard curves in both diagnostic categories began to diverge at age 35. Regarding the individual CVD endpoints, MI was significantly more prevalent in both women with NIH-PCOS (P = .010) and women with Rotterdam-PCOS (P = .019), when compared to control women.

Conclusions: PCOS should be considered a significant risk factor for CVD. Future follow-up will show how the risk of CVD events develops after menopausal age.