Page Articles 1 of 28 in PresS. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab (January 15, 2008). doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00725.2007
Is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Associated with High Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Size at Birth?
Yrsa Bergmann Sverrisdottir1, Tove Mogren1, Josefin Kataoka1, Per Olof Janson2 and Elisabet Stener-Victorin1 1
Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy,
Göteborg University, Sweden 2
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg
University, Göteborg, Sweden
Short title: Sympathetic nerve activity in PCOS
Address for Correspondence Yrsa Bergman Sverrisdóttir Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Department of Physiology Sahlgrenska Academy Göteborg University, Box 432 SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Tel: +46(0)31 7863527 Fax: +46(0)31 7863512 E-mail:
[email protected]
Key Words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, sympathetic nerve activity, birth weight, testosterone, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease
Copyright © 2008 by the American Physiological Society.
Page 2 of 28
Abstract Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disturbance amongst women in reproductive age and proposed to be linked with size at birth and increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease. A disturbance in the sympathetic nervous system may contribute to the etiology of PCOS. This study evaluates sympathetic outflow in PCOS and its relation to size at birth. Methods: Directly recorded sympathetic nerve activity to the muscle vascular bed (MSNA) was obtained in 20 women with PCOS and 18 matched controls. Ovarian ultrasonographic evaluation, biometric, hormonal and biochemical parameters were measured and birth data collected. Results: Women with PCOS had increased MSNA (30±8 vs. 20±7 burst frequency, p
