Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Prevalence on the Basis of Different Diagnostic Criteria

Study ObjectiveExisting literature on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MBS) in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is inconsistent, likely because of the application of differing diagnostic criteria. The objective was to assess the prevalence of MBS in adolescents with PCOS depending on the PCOS diagnostic criteria used.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA retrospective chart review of female patients (N = 37), ages 11-22 years, diagnosed with PCOS between January 2013 and December 2017. Patients were included only if they had received screening allowing comparison across all PCOS diagnostic criteria: National Institutes of Health, Rotterdam, Androgen Excess Society, Amsterdam, Endocrine Society, and the Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES). The presence of MBS was established using the International Diabetes Federation criteria. The proportion of patients having MBS was then calculated for each PCOS diagnostic criteria subgroup.Interventions and Main Outcome MeasuresFor the entire study cohort, MBS was present in 17/37 patients (45.9%). The highest prevalence of MBS was among the subgroup of patients meeting the PES PCOS diagnostic criteria (13/25; 52.0%), whereas the lowest prevalence was in the subgroup meeting the Amsterdam PCOS criteria (6/15; 40.0%). Those diagnosed using the PES criteria also had the highest percentage of patients with 3 or more risk factors for MBS.Results and ConclusionThe prevalence of MBS varied according to the specific PCOS diagnostic criteria and was highest when PES guidelines were used. The PES criteria are adolescent-specific and have thus refined the diagnosis of PCOS for this population. Our results highlight the importance of validated adolescent-specific PCOS diagnostic criteria.