Published online Mar 15, 2022. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v13.i3.240
Peer-review started: August 12, 2021
First decision: October 3, 2021
Revised: October 13, 2021
Accepted: February 19, 2022
Article in press: February 19, 2022
Published online: March 15, 2022
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder in women of repro
To assess the hazard ratio (HR) of T2DM between women with/without PCOS.
This population-based, retrospective cohort study evaluated data retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The subjects were women with PCOS (n = 2545) identified on the basis of diagnosis, testing, or treatment codes, and women without PCOS as controls (n = 2545). The HR of T2DM between women with or without PCOS was the main outcome measure analyzed.
Our study found that, during a 10-year follow-up period, the overall incidence of T2DM was 6.25 per 1000 person-years in the PCOS group compared with 1.49 in the control group. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the overall incidence of T2DM was higher in the PCOS group vs the control group (HR = 5.13, 95%CI: 3.51-7.48, P < 0.0001). The risk of developing T2DM subsequent to PCOS decreased with increasing diagnosis age: the adjusted HR was 10.4 in the 18–24-year age group, 5.28 in the 25-29-year age group, and 4.06 in the 29-34-year age group. However, no such significant association was noted in women older than 35 years.
These findings highlight the importance of prompting a more aggressive treatment to prevent diabetes in women diagnosed with PCOS at a young age, and, in contrast, the lessened importance of this type of intervention in women diagnosed with PCOS at a late reproductive age.
Core Tip: We aimed to evaluate the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) over time in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at different diagnosis ages, in comparison with non-PCOS controls. Our results showed that, among women diagnosed with PCOS at a young age, the incidence of T2DM was significantly higher than that of age-matched women in the general population. However, the risk disappeared among women diagnosed with PCOS after age 35. These findings highlight the importance of prompting a more aggressive treatment to prevent diabetes among women diagnosed with PCOS at a young age, and, in contrast, the lessened importance of this type of intervention in women diagnosed with PCOS at a late reproductive age.