THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have higher levels of visfatin, although the etiology and effects of this remain unclear, according to a report published in the August issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Eing-Mei Tsai, M.D., Ph.D., of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, and colleagues conducted a study of 52 women, of whom 26 had polycystic ovary syndrome and 26 had a regular menstrual cycle and were healthy.
Among the women with polycystic ovaries, plasma visfatin concentrations averaged 336.8 nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL), versus 282.4 ng/mL for the healthy controls. There was a positive correlation between body mass index and plasma visfatin levels in the polycystic ovary group but none among the controls.
"The meanings of increased plasma visfatin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome currently are unclear. Although it has been suggested that visfatin has an insulin-mimicking effect in lowering plasma glucose levels, higher visfatin levels have been observed in patients with diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus," the authors write. "Clearly, further investigation is needed to determine the precise mechanism."
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