The association between metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundOne of the most frequently encountered endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Recent studies have reported varied prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in women with PCOS. The aim of this study is to determine if the women with PCOS are at a higher risk of MetS.MethodThe present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. To collect articles, we searched online databases of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EBSCO and Google scholar search engine and the reference list of the retrieved articles using MeSH keywords of “metabolic syndrome”, “woman” and “polycystic ovary syndrome” without time limit until October 2018. Cochran's Q test and I² Index were used to evaluate the heterogeneity among studies and the random effects model was used for combining the results. Data analysis was performed in STATA software version 11.1.ResultFinally, 72 studies involving 10075 PCOS patients with an average age of 26.2 ± 5.01 years were included in the meta-analysis. The heterogeneity rate was high (I² = 76.5%; p < 0.001) and the pooled estimate of the association between MetS and PCOS was significant (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 2.18–3.02; P < 0.001).ConclusionAccording to the results, there is higher risk of MetS in women with PCOS. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of MetS in women with PCOS may have a significant impact on this patients health and reduce the rate of mortality and morbidity.