SCREENING OF PRE-DIABETES IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME: A TERTIARY CARE EXPERIENCE

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To screen the females presenting with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) for underlying pre-diabetes and to correlate pre-diabetes with the various diagnostic criteria of PCOS. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan from March, 2020 till December, 2020. One hundred & fifty one cases of PCOS, ranging in age from 17-40 years, were selected through purposive sampling. The Rotterdam criterion was used to diagnose PCOS, the details of history, physical examination and biochemical investigations like luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), glycosylted hemoglobin (HBA1c), prolactin and pelvic ultrasound were recorded on a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 23.42±4.88 years. Mean BMI was 33.27±26.98 kg/m2. Pre-diabetes was detected in 19.2% (n=29) and overt diabetes in 4.0% (n=6) of the women with PCOS.  Hypertension, dyslipidemia and hypothyroidism were reported by 11 (7.2%), 9 (5.9%) and 4 (2.6%) patients respectively. Delayed menstrual cycle was reported by 44.8% (n=52); 27.6% (n=8) & 33.3% (n=2) cases of normoglycemic, prediabetes and diabetes mellitus respectively. Oligomenorrhoea was present in 69.0% (n=20) of pre-diabetics. Moderate and severe hirsutism was present in 44.8% and 10.3% PCOS patients with pre-diabetes. There was no significant correlation between pre-diabetes and the criteria of PCOS diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Women with PCOS are at increased risk of pre-diabetes and other metabolic complications like obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia at an earlier age. However, there was no significant correlation between pre-diabetes and the criteria of PCOS diagnosis.