Does Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Increase the Disparity in Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular-Related Health for African-American Women?

There have been few formal studies of differences in the phenotype of PCOS among women of African-American ancestry. Generally, African-American women tend to have an adverse cardiovascular risk profile when compared with women of other racial groups. The metabolic syndrome is a clinical disorder that identifies individuals at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Preliminary studies support that both African-American and White women with PCOS have similar prevalences of the metabolic syndrome, suggesting that the diagnosis may not be associated with racial differences in cardiovascular risk factors.