Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) presents as a multimorbid condition by age 50-birth cohort linkage to national register data.
Women with PCOS are burdened with multimorbidity and higher medication use, independent of BMI and other confounders, and preventive strategies are needed to alleviate the disease burden and improve the health outcomes of women with PCOS.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This population-based follow-up study investigated register-based disease diagnoses and medication use up till age of 50 years among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that were identified from a population-based birth cohort. DESIGN Population-based longitudinal cohort study. PATIENTS Women reporting oligo/amenorrhea and hirsutism at age 31 and/or who were diagnosed with PCOS by a physician by age 46 (n = 244) and women without PCOS symptoms or diagnosis (n = 1 556) in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES National register data on diagnosed diseases (ICD-8-10) and medication use (ATC) until the age of 50. RESULTS Women with PCOS had a 26% higher risk for any registered diagnosis (RR: 1.26 [1.09-1.46]) and a 24% higher risk for medication use (RR: 1.24 [1.05-1.46]) compared to non-PCOS women, even after adjusting for several confounders. Several main ICD categories were more prevalent among women with PCOS versus non-PCOS controls, e.g., endocrine, metabolic, nervous system, musculoskeletal and genitourinary diseases in addition with different symptoms and injuries. Surprisingly, even though the overall morbidity was only increased in women with PCOS with a BMI ≥ 25gk/m2, there were several ICD main categories that showed higher comorbidity risk especially in women with PCOS with a BMI <25 kg/m2. Several medications were prescribed more often to women with PCOS versus non-PCOS controls, e.g., medications related to the alimentary tract and metabolism, the cardiovascular system, genito-urinary system drugs and sex hormones, dermatologic and hormonal preparations, and medications to treat the musculoskeletal, nervous, and respiratory systems. CONCLUSION Women with PCOS are burdened with multimorbidity and higher medication use, independent of BMI and other confounders. Accordingly, preventive strategies are needed to alleviate the disease burden and improve the health outcomes of women with PCOS.