Women with PCOS at High Risk for Liver Disease

Newswise — Two out of three women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to a new study that described this relationship for the first time. Experts from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) will highlight the relationship between PCOS and NAFLD at a media teach-in, Tuesday, September 13, 2005, 10 a.m., at the Hyatt Regency Washington (DC) on Capitol Hill.

NAFLD is caused by fat accumulation in the liver that can lead to liver inflammation. Normally associated with obesity, NAFLD can be detected with an ultrasound. The prevalence of NAFLD was close to two-fold higher in obese women with PCOS than normal healthy women, and at least two to three-fold fold higher than healthy lean women in several prior ultrasonographic studies of NAFLD.

“This study clearly indicates that NAFLD is a strong predictor of the IRS which is linked to many serious medical disorders,” commented Walter Futterweit, MD, FACE, study participant and co-chair of the AACE PCOS Conference.

Women with PCOS usually have insulin resistance and metabolic disorder that is associated with serious medical disorders such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

“One in ten reproductive-age women in the United States suffers from PCOS up to three fourths of them are unaware they have it,” stated Rhoda H. Cobin, MD, MACE, PCOS Conference Chair. “It is important to alert these women to the serious health complications associated with PCOS.”

AACE is a professional medical organization with more than 5,200 members in the United States and 84 other countries. Founded in 1991, AACE is dedicated to the optimal care of patients with endocrine problems. AACE initiatives inform the public about endocrine disorders. AACE also conducts continuing education programs for clinical endocrinologists, physicians whose advanced, specialized training enables them to be experts in the care of endocrine diseases, such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, growth hormone deficiency, osteoporosis, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and obesity.