Table 2. Basic characteristics of the study sample.
| PCOS-Total | PCOS-NIH | PCOS-ROT | Controls | p-value§ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 25 (22–31) | 25 (22–29) | 26 (22–33) | 23 (23–25) | 0.370 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25 (22–30)* | 25 (23–30)* | 23 (21–30) | 21 (20–24) | 0.001 |
| Waist (cm) | 84 (75–94) | 89 (80–95)*† | 76 (70–84) | 78 (75–85) | 0.014 |
| TG (mg/dl) | 79 (63–95) | 75 (62–92) | 85 (64–96) | 99 (78–110) | 0.094 |
| TC (mg/dl) | 179 (153–198) | 179 (153–199) | 178 (163–198) | 170 (158–180) | 0.602 |
| LDL-C (mg/dl) | 102 (77–124)* | 99 (78–126) | 103 (78–120) | 81 (70–87) | 0.135 |
| HDL-C (mg/dl) | 57 (44–67)* | 55 (44–65)* | 59 (46–72) | 68 (60–78) | 0.011 |
| LH (mU/ml) | 8.1 (5.9–12.1)* | 8.5 (6.5–14.7)* | 7.0 (4.9–9.0) | 4.0 (1.6–6.8) | <0.001 |
| FSH (mU/ml) | 5.5 (4.9–6.5) | 5.6 (5.0–6.7) | 5.3 (4.8–6.2) | 5.0 (2.5–6.5) | 0.401 |
| SHBG (nmol/l) | 35 (27–58)* | 34 (23–53)* | 57 (33–81)* | 94 (53–136) | <0.001 |
| FG-Score | 10.0 (5.0–15.0)* | 12.0 (8.5–15.5)*† | 4.0 (3.0–9.8)* | 0.0 (0.0–0.5) | <0.001 |
| Tot-Test (ng/ml) | 0.44 (0.32–0.63)* | 0.51 (0.41–0.67)*† | 0.33 (0.22–0.41) | 0.37 (0.27–0.46) | 0.003 |
| FAI | 4.2 (2.0–6.5)* | 5.3 (3.5–6.7)*† | 2.0 (1.3–3.0) | 1.6 (0.5–2.9) | <0.001 |
| ANST (ng/ml) | 3.4 (2.2–4.7)* | 3.9 (2.7–5.0)*† | 2.6 (2.0–3.4) | 2.1 (1.7–2.9) | 0.006 |
| DHEAS (μg/ml) | 2.5 (1.9–4.0) | 2.9 (2.2–4.0) | 2.1 (1.7–3.2) | 2.1 (1.5–3.4) | 0.178 |
Data are median and interquartile range (IQR) for controls, patients with PCOS (total group) as well as for subgroups classified by NIH 1999 criteria (PCOS-NIH) and patients additionally identified by the Rotterdam 2003 criteria (PCOS-ROT). BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; TG, triglycerides; TC, total cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LH, luteinizing hormone, FSH, follicle stimulating hormone; SHBG, sex hormone binding globulin; FG-Score, Ferriman-Gallway score; Tot-Test, total testosterone; FAI, free androgen index; ANST, androstendione; DHEAS, dehydroepiandrostendione.
* vs. controls: p<0.05
† PCOS-NIH vs. PCOS-ROT: p<0.05
§ test for global hypothesis: controls vs. PCOS-NIH vs. PCOS-ROT: p<0.05.