Serum visfatin in Asian women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine serum visfatin levels in Asian polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women and its correlations with various parameters.

STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study.

SETTING: University hospital.

SUBJECTS: Eighty women were enrolled in this study. Of these, 40 women were PCOS and 40 age-matched subjects with regular menstrual cycles were controls.

INTERVENTION: Seventy-five gram oral glucose tolerance tests were performed in all women. Fasting venous blood samples for serum visfatin, insulin and androgen levels were obtained both from the PCOS and the control women.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum concentrations of visfatin, fasting insulin (FI), fasting glucose, 2-h post-load glucose (2hPG), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance, homeostasis model assessment beta cell function, total testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were measured in both groups.

RESULTS: Women with PCOS had significantly higher serum visfatin levels than the healthy controls [100.39 +/- 41.90 vs. 45.09 +/- 28.24 mg/ml, p < 0.01]. PCOS women also had significantly higher concentrations of all androgens (p < 0.01). Insulin resistance seemed to be greater in the PCOS than the control groups, but did not reach a statistically significant level. In the PCOS group, serum visfatin levels were positively correlated with 2hPG, and systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Serum visfatin levels were negatively associated with FI (r = -0.80, p = 0.03) and positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.77, p = 0.04, r = 0.79, p = 0.03, respectively) in the sub-group of PCOS women with abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT).

CONCLUSIONS: Asian PCOS women had significantly higher serum visfatin levels than age-matched healthy controls. Their levels were significantly correlated with 2hPG and blood pressure in PCOS women, and with FI and blood pressure in PCOS women with AGT.