Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in Thai University adolescents

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common and complex condition characterized by endocrine features and influenced by genetic and environmental factors. In Southeast Asia and Thailand, the prevalence of PCOS is unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and determine factors associated with PCOS in Thai adolescents. We administered a validated questionnaire to 600 university female participants aged 17–19 years from Mahidol University in Bangkok. Of these, 548 (91.33%) responded and agreed to participate. Two-hundred and seventy-nine girls (50.91%) were identified as likely having PCOS and defined as ‘probable cases’. Of those 279 participants, 248 (88.88%) were evaluated further for PCOS using the Rotterdam criteria. A complete history was taken, and a physical examination including trans-abdominal ultrasound was performed. Blood chemistry tests were performed to exclude similar conditions and to investigate potential co-morbidities. The prevalence of PCOS in Thai adolescents was found to be 5.29%. After multivariate analyses, moderate acne was the strongest risk factor for PCOS. The odd ratios (95% confidence interval) for the presence of mild acne, moderate acne, and oligo- or amenorrhea in participants with PCOS were 2.83 (1.01–7.90; p = .47), 31.69 (10.07–99.67; p < .001), and 5.89 (2.42–14.37; p < .001), respectively.

Chinese abstract

多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）是一种常见的复杂疾病, 特点是内分泌功能受遗传和环境因素的影响。在东南亚和泰国, PCOS的发病率不详。本研究的目的是评估泰国青少年PCOS的患病率并确定相关因素。我们为600名来自曼谷Mahidol大学的年龄在17-19岁的大学女性参与者进行了验证性问卷调查。其中, 548名（91.33％）回应并同意参加。 279名女孩（50.91％）被确定为可能患有PCOS并被定义为”可能病例”。在279名参与者中, 248名（88.88％）使用鹿特丹标准进一步评估PCOS。该研究记录了完整的病史, 并进行了相关体检, 包括经腹超声检查、血液生化检查, 以排除类似的情况并研究潜在的疾病共性。泰国青少年PCOS患病率为5.29％。多变量分析后, 中度痤疮是PCOS最强的危险因素。 PCOS患者出现轻度痤疮, 中度痤疮和月经稀发或闭经的比值比（95％置信区间）为2.83（1.01-7.90; p = 0.47）, 31.69（10.07-99.67; p <.001）和5.89（2.42-14.37; p <.001）

Keywords:

• PCOS
• adolescent
• oligomenorrhea
• acne
• hyperandrogenemia
• hyperandrogenism

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank undergraduate students in Faculty of Science and medical and nursing students of Ramathibodi hospital for participating in the study. The authors would like to thank Associate Professor Renu Pookbunmee, PhD, the director of Ramathibodi school of nursing and Associate Professor Patcharin Nintacha, the deputy director for postgraduate and research of Ramathibodi school of nursing for their excellence support.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The current study was supported by Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University [grant number RF_60005].