 Family traits in PCOS identified
Thursday 23 February 2006
Family traits in PCOS identified
Source: National Institutes of Health, USA
Research into women with polycystic ovary syndrome and their siblings provides further evidence for inherited factors in the condition.
Research indicates that the same gene defect could be linked to metabolic and hormonal abnormalities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and their siblings.
The National Institutes of Health is funding a study, led by Dr. Andrea Dunaif (Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA), to investigate genetic risk factors for insulin resistance and hyperandrogenemia among families with a history of PCOS.
In previous research, Dunaif et al found that approximately 50 percent of sisters of women with PCOS had hyperandrogenemia. Around half of these sisters were subsequently diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance, while the remainder were insulin resistant but had no symptoms of PCOS. The team also identified familial clustering of elevated dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels in women with PCOS and their brothers.
Concluding that these findings suggest a genetic trait, the investigators studied a number of candidate genes. They discovered that a genetic mutation on chromosome 19 found near to the insulin receptor gene, named D19S884*8, was found in women with PCOS, and those siblings affected by metabolic and hormonal abnormalities.
The researchers say that the results strongly suggest that the same genetic defect is responsible for PCOS and related symptoms in siblings, although they emphasize that further research is required.
Posted: 14 August 2002
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