Lipoprotein profiles in Mexican American and non-Hispanic white women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: To compare lipid profiles between Mexican American and non-Hispanic white women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: Cross-sectional analysis using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Setting: University gynecology service. Patient(s): Self-identified Mexican Americans (n = 71) and non-Hispanic whites (n 120) with PCOS defined by the 2003 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology and American Society of Reproductive Medicine consensus. Intervention(s): Serum drawn from fasting state followed by oral glucose tolerance test. Main Outcome Measure(s): Age, body mass index (BMI), androgens, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, fasting, and minimal model analyses of insulin sensitivity. Result(s): Mexican American women were more insulin resistant than non-Hispanic whites, but cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and calculated non-HDL cholesterol levels were similar. BMI inversely correlated with HDL cholesterol and positively with triglycerides. Approximately half of both ethnic groups had at least one lipid level in the low (HDL) or high (cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol) range according to National Cholesterol Education Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults guidelines. Conclusion(s): Despite greater insulin resistance among Mexican Americans with PCOS, lipid levels were similar to those of age-and weight-matched non-Hispanic whites. Obesity adversely affected lipid levels-primarily HDL cholesterol and triglycerides-in both groups. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was approximately 50% in each ethnic group. (Fertil Steril (R) 2011; 96: 1503-7. (C) 2011 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)