Wednesday 7 September 2005
Low-dose acarbose shows promise in obese PCOS patients
Source: Human Reproduction 2005; 20: 2396-401
Assessing the effects of low-dose acarbose on obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
A low-dose oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA) appears to be a well-tolerated and effective treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in obese patients, say researchers.
"The study opens perspectives for future investigation combining drugs with different mechanisms of action in patients with PCOS, especially obese ones for whom standard treatments are less effective," write I. Penna (Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paolo, Brazil) and colleagues.
In view of the possible side effects associated with OHAs, the team assessed the effects of a low dose (150 mg/day) of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, in obese PCOS patients, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, lasting 6 months.
By the end of the study, women given acarbose displayed reductions in body mass index, free androgen levels, and hirsutism, as assessed by the Ferriman-Gallwey score, along with increased rates of menstrual regularity, while placebo-recipients showed no changes in any of these parameters. Mild side effects were reported by most (84 percent) patients given acarbose, but these disappeared after 3 months of treatment.
The researchers conclude: "The present study... suggests that this drug could be used in a safe manner by patients with PCOS and hyperinsulinemia and that low and well-tolerated doses of the drug have an action on body weight and hyperandrogenism in these patients."
Posted: 6 September 2005
http://www.orgyn.com/en/news/2005/Week_36/Day_2/Low-dose_acarbose_sh.asp 
Low-dose acarbose shows promise in obese PCOS patients 
