Aim:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common reproductive system disorders in women, is a clinical condition in which chronic inflammatory parameters increase. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness, inflammatory parameters and their relationships with each other by comparing PCOS patients and healthy controls.

Methods:

Serum complement 3 (C3) and complement 4 (C4) levels were evaluated and EAT was measured by transthoracic echocardiography.

Results:

Thirty-two patients with PCOS (mean age=24±6 years) and 27 healthy controls (mean age=26±3 years) were included in the study. EAT (p=0.000), abdominal subcutaneous thickness (p=0.000), C3 (p=0.023), C4 (p=0.039), hsCRP (p=0.026), GGT (p=0.012) and fibrinogen (p=0.035) levels were significantly increased in the PCOS group compared to the control group. It was found that EAT thickness was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r=0.84, p=0.000), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness (r=0.82, p=0.000), HOMA-IR (r=0.62, p=0.000), hsCRP (r=0.58, p=0.000), C3 (r=0.52, p=0.000), C4 (r=0.44, p=0.000), and fibrinogen (r=0.50, p=0.000) levels. In logistic regression analysis, Regardless of the BMI and abdominal subcutaneous thickness, EAT was found to have a significant relationship with PCOS. According to linear regression analysis; C4, HOMA-IR and hsCRP were found to have a significant relationship with EAT.

Conclusion:

Increased EAT, which was found to be significantly associated with PCOS, was showed to have a significant relationship with insulin resistance and C4 and hsCRP levels in this study. Clinically, the evaluation of the levels of inflammatory and immune parameters together with the measurement of EAT thickness in PCOS patients may be helpful in determining the cardiovascular risk. Prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to show this relationship more clearly.

Keywords: Polycystic ovary syndrome, epicardial adipose tissue, inflammation