Role and Usefulness of C-reactive Protein in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex medical condition characterized by elevated androgen levels, menstrual irregularities, and small cysts on one or both ovaries. The prevalence of PCOS is 6 to 10% in women. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein produced by the hepatic cells and it’s levels increased in inflammation that increases interleukin-6 by macrophages and T cells.

Aims and Objective: A correlative study of role and usefulness of CRP in women with PCOS and its correlation with different biochemical parameters.

Materials and Methods: This was hospital based case-control study carried out among PCOS was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Index Medical College Hospital, Indore. This study was conducted from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019. A total of 260 subjects with age group between 15 to 45 years were divided into two group; cases (130) and controls (130).

Results: Among a total of 260 cases, based on clinical and different biochemical parameters, 130 were diagnosis with PCOS and 130 were apparently healthy women. The mean ±SD of various parameters among PCOS cases were; body mass index (BMI) 32.97±8.466, P (<0.001) total cholesterol (TC) 188.42±31.126, P (<0.001), triglyceride (TG) 134.43±50.01, P (<0.001), high density lipoprotein (HDL) 36.29±9.55 TC/HDL ratio, 5.54±1.865 serum CRP, 3.41±0.94 versus BMI 22.87±2.470, P (<0.001), TC155.42±26.333, TG 110.00±42.19, HDL 41.22±10.912, TC/HDL ratio 4.08±1.39, serum CRP 2.25±0.83 P (<0.001) in healthy control.

Conclusion: In this study, the role of inflammation and different biochemical markers were studied among PCOS. It was found that a majority of PCOS patients were obese, having insulin resistance. The levels of CRP as a marker of chronic low grade inflammation were higher in newly diagnosed PCOS as compared to the controls. The CRP values correlated well (statistically significant) with increased in BMI and age.