PMOS could increase heart disease risk, study finds
A new study reveals that women with PMOS (formerly PCOS) face a fourfold higher risk of heart disease compared to those without the condition. Researchers are calling for better physician education and earlier cardiovascular screening for these patients.
Why it matters
This highlights a critical gap in women's healthcare and the need for better long-term management of metabolic conditions to prevent heart disease.
PMOS, or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, is a complex hormone condition affecting about one in eight women in the UK.
It can affect hair growth, periods, fertility and mood.
US researchers analysed health insurance data collected between 2000 and 2022 from 413,450 women with PMOS aged 18 to 50.
They compared the group with more than two million women who did not have the condition.
The study found that women with PMOS had a fourfold higher risk of heart disease than those without it.
The increased risk remained after researchers accounted for other factors linked to heart disease, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
International PMOS guidelines recommend screening all patients for heart disease risk at diagnosis and providing advice on lifestyle changes.
However, researchers said patient surveys “report delayed diagnosis and substantial dissatisfaction with counselling regarding long-term comorbidities”.
Comorbidities are additional health conditions that occur alongside a main condition.
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