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PCOS tied to increased risk of COVID-19 infection

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may have an increased risk of COVID-19 infection, a recent study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology suggests.

Researchers conducted a population-based closed cohort study involving 21,292 women diagnosed with polycystic ovaries or PCOS and 78,310 control participants matched for age and general practice, identified from The Health Improvement Network, UK.

The crude incidence of COVID-19 was 18.1 per 1000 person-years in women with PCOS compared with 11.9 per 1000 person-years in women without PCOS. After adjusting for age, women with PCOS had a 51 per cent higher risk of PCOS versus those without PCOS (HR, 1.51; P<.001). After fully adjusting for confounders including age, body mass index, impaired glucose regulation, androgen excess, anovulation, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, women with PCOS still had a 28 per cent higher risk of COVID-19 than their non-PCOS counterparts (adjusted HR, 1.28; P=.015).

"Based on our results, women with PCOS should be specifically encouraged to adhere to the recommended infection control measures for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic," the authors concluded. They call for further research to explore the critical role of androgens and the potential contribution of ethnicity and socio-economic deprivation to the association.


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