Evaluation of serum Vitamin D and ferritin level and their correlation with insulin resistance and adiposity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A hospital-based study in Maharashtra, India

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the utmost prevailing, complex endocrinopathy of reproductive-aged women and one of the fundamental reasons for female infertility. It has been acclaimed as a metabolic syndrome variant in women and comprises a crucial segment of the female population at risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Vitamin D deficiency is connected with deleterious metabolic outcomes in PCOS and may be responsible for exacerbating PCOS symptoms. This hormonal deficiency is linked with insulin resistance (IR), adiposity, impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, and systemic pro-inflammatory milieu in PCOS women. Ferritin, a regulator of iron homeostasis, is linked with IR and obesity. There is an absolute interrelation of even slightly raised body iron stores with aggravated risk of IR, diabetes, cardiovascular events, and metabolic syndrome in PCOS. AIMS: This study was designed to assess and compare Vitamin D and ferritin status in PCOS and control group women. We also aimed to analyze the association of Vitamin D and body iron stores with IR and adiposity in PCOS women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Women with a diagnosis of PCOS, between 18 and 40 years of age, were recruited and compared with healthy controls. Baseline information was obtained from all the participants, and biochemical parameters such as Vitamin D and ferritin were analyzed. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that women with PCOS have significantly decreased Vitamin D levels compared to controls. A compromised Vitamin D status in PCOS women is associated with higher IR, body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio, and lipid accumulation product (LAP). PCOS women showed increased serum ferritin concentration that correlated with IR and BMI. CONCLUSION: An inadequate Vitamin D and raised ferritin status in PCOS women are associated with IR and adiposity. These biochemical markers might be the hallmark of metabolic aberrations in PCOS and their assessment would be worthwhile for evaluating cardiovascular and diabetes risks in these women. Furthermore, the correlation of the LAP index with the IR index suggests that obesity has a strong impact on IR.

Keywords

• homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
• hypovitaminosis d
• lipid accumulation product
• obesity
• polycystic ovarian syndrome