Polycystic Ovarian Disease Predisposes Young Women To Heart Disease.

"These findings underscore the need to screen and aggressively counsel and treat these women to prevent symptomatic cardiovascular disease."

Dr. Rupal Shroff and colleagues.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (December 2007 issue).

University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Polycystic ovarian disease is common among young women, especially when they are obese. This disease can lead to high blood pressure, increased cholesterol and predisposition to diabetes mellitus. Dr. Rupal and his colleagues studied women, 21 to 50 years with polycystic ovarian disease. They found that a third of the women had early onset of heart disease (coronary heart disease). Most of these women did not have any risk factors for heart disease. Though the number of patients involved in this study is small, it appears that polycystic ovarian disease is by itself a risk factor for coronary heart disease and hence healthcare providers should diagnose this disease early and treat it to prevent its complications.