Comparison of Clinical and Biochemical Markers of Hirsutism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Study from a Teaching Hospital in Sri Ramachandra Institute, Chennai, India
April 2021
in “
Journal of evolution of medical and dental sciences
”
TLDR Women with PCOS have higher levels of certain androgens, which are good at predicting excess hair growth.
The study conducted at Sri Ramachandra Institute in Chennai, India, involving 100 women with PCOS and 100 control women, found that biochemical markers such as bioavailable testosterone, free androgen index, and free testosterone were significantly higher in the PCOS group compared to controls. The free androgen index and bioavailable testosterone were effective in predicting hirsutism, with cutoff values providing good sensitivity and specificity. These markers also correlated with other PCOS-related factors like DHEAS levels, LH/FSH ratio, androstenedione, total testosterone, follicle count, ovarian volume, and hirsutism scores. The study highlighted racial differences in DHEAS levels among PCOS patients and an age-associated decline in DHEAS levels in both PCOS and control groups, irrespective of race.