Association of Free Testosterone and DHEA-S with Dyslipidemia in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome- a case-control study.

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multisystem disorder presenting with menstrual irregularities, infertility, and features of hyperandrogenism. Hyperandrogenism predisposes to the critical clinical features of PCOS. This find aimed to study the association of androgenic hormones such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and free testosterone with lipid profile in PCOS women.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. Patients were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Participants were aged 18-40 years. Blood samples were collected for analysis of lipid profile, DHEA-S, and free testosterone. DHEA-S and free testosterone were analyzed by ELISA. Ethics approval and written informed consent were obtained. Based on the distribution of the data, appropriate statistical tools were used. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Most of the participants were aged between 21 and 30 years. HDL-c was decreased in PCOS patients compared to healthy individuals; however, no statistically significant difference was found. Free testosterone showed an association with triglyceride. The areas under the curves of DHEA-S and free testosterone were 0.638 and 0.765, respectively.

Conclusion: DHEA-S and free testosterone showed good area under the curves. But free testosterone performed better with a higher area under the curve as well as its association with triglyceride. The cut-off values to diagnose PCOS were 3.0 μg/mL and 2.5 pg/mL for DHEA-S and free testosterone, respectively, with adequate sensitivity and specificity. Since free testosterone performed better in ROC curve than DHEA-S, free testosterone is considered to be a potential biomarker of identifying hyperandrogenism in PCOS women.