ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prognostic importance of preclinical markers of atherosclerosis and their interrelationship are inconclusive. In this study interrelationship between different methods investigating endothelial function and intima media thickness (IMT) was investigated in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Endothelial function was assessed by endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD), nitrate-mediated dilation (NMD), low-flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC) and peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT). Arterial stiffness was determined by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the Augmentation Index (AI). The IMT of carotid arteries was measured. RESULTS: Twenty-eight obese women were recruited with the diagnosis of PCOS, mean age 27±7.2 years and Body Mass Index 38.8±6.3 kg/m2. A relationship between FMD and NMD (r=0.44, P=0.02) was shown. FMD as well as NMD of the brachial artery were not correlated with L-FMC or PAT. The AI and PWV, indicators of arterial stiffness were not interrelated with FMD, and there was no significant interrelationship between IMT and FMD or NMD. The AI was related only to IMT (r=0.45, P=0.30). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between available methods for evaluation of endothelial function/dysfunction is weak in PCOS. This indicates that different methods investigate different mechanisms and various sections of the circulatory system.