ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of hyperandrogenic disorders especially polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] in a random sample of adolescent girls in our locality, as well as to identify the clinical; hormonal, ultrasonic, and body composition characteristics associated with such disorders. Two hundred school girls [15-18 years old] were selected by multi-stage random sampling from different secondary schools, and screened for hyperandrogenic disorders by a validated questionnaire. Thorough history taking, physical and gynecologic examination, complete hormonal, pelvi-abdominal pulse inversion harmonic imaging [PlHl], and body composition assessment by bioelectrical impedance [BIA] were done for students presenting with menstrual dysfunction and/or clinical hyperandrogenism and 8 controls from the 4th to the 7th day of the menstrual cycle. Twenty-five out of the 200 students were thoroughly evaluated. Eighteen adolescents of the examined students [72%] were finally diagnosed as PCOS, 5 [20%] as idiopathic hyperandrogenism and 2 [8%] s non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia [CAH]. Despite normal weight percentiles and body mass index [BMI] for age and sex in 83.3% and 88.9% of students with PCOS respectively, fat mass, trunk fat percentage, trunk fat mass, and trunk free fat were significantly higher in PCOS patients compared to controls. PCOS was the most common hyperandrogenic disorder in this study. Combined menstrual dysfunction and clinical hyperandrogenism had adequate sensitivity and high specificity in the prediction of PCOS. PIHI is an adequately sensitive preferential diagnostic tool of PCOS in virgin adolescents who may have central adiposity. Body composition assessment by BIA in PCOS is valuable in detecting central adiposity which could be correlated to parameters of insulin resistance