Diabetes and cardiovascular events in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a 20-year retrospective cohort study

In a retrospective cohort study involving 2,301 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) over a follow-up period of more than 12,000 person-years, researchers found high incidence rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular (CV) events. The incidence rates per 1,000 person-years for T2DM, myocardial infarction (MI), angina, heart failure (HF), stroke, and CV death were 3.6, 0.8, 1.0, 0.3, 0.0, and 0.4, respectively. The study also revealed that women with PCOS over the age of 65 had a prevalence of MI and angina over 27%. Risk factors for these conditions included age, history of hypertension, and smoking. The study concluded that women with PCOS have an increased risk of T2DM and CV events, especially as they age, and that treatment and long-term planning should address these risks. However, the study had limitations such as missing data and the absence of waist circumference measurements for most of the observation period.