2 Out of 3 Women With PCOS Suffer from Liver Disease
Women with PCOS at High Risk for Liver Disease
According to a new study, 2 out of 3 women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome suffer from Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). NAFLD can predict Insulin Resistance Syndrome, which is linked to diabetes and heart 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.
Endocr Pract. 2005 Sep-Oct;11(5):319-24. Related Articles, Links
Polycystic ovary syndrome and severe nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: beneficial effect of modest weight loss and exercise on liver biopsy findings.
Brown AJ, Tendler DA, McMurray RG, Setji TL.
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Duke, University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Conclusion: Women with PCOS and insulin resistance have an increased risk of developing many of the consequences of the dysmetabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. This case report suggests that fatty liver and NASH may be other important diseases to identify in such women. It also demonstrates the improvement in this condition with moderate exercise and weight loss.
Objective: To report a case of biopsy-documented nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which improved appreciably through moderate exercise and weight loss in a young woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance.
Methods: We present a detailed case report, including laboratory and pathologic findings. In addition, we review the recent literature regarding the association of insulin resistance with NASH and PCOS. Results: A 24-year-old woman was referred to the Duke Gastroenterology Clinic for evaluation of long-term high serum aminotransferase levels. She also reported a history of chronically irregular menses, infertility, and hirsutism and was diagnosed with PCOS. Subsequent glucose tolerance testing suggested the presence of insulin resistance. Liver biopsy findings were consistent with severe nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Under the supervision of her physician and an exercise physiologist, the patient initiated a diet and exercise program that resulted in an 11.5% weight loss during approximately 8 months and yielded normalization of her aminotransferase levels. A repeat liver biopsy done 13 months after the initial biopsy revealed a substantial decrease in steatosis and a reduction in inflammation.
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2 Out of 3 Women With PCOS Suffer from Liver Disease 
