objective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is more prevalent in South Asian women residing in the UK than in Caucasians. Insulin resistance (IR) is central to the pathogenesis of PCOS, while type 2 diabetes is commoner in South Asians. We aimed to determine a possible ethnic difference in the clinical and biochemical characteristics of South Asian vs. Caucasian women with PCOS.
patients and design A case‐control cross‐sectional observational study of consecutive women with anovular PCOS (47 South Asians, 40 Caucasians) and their age‐matched controls (11 South Asians and 22 Caucasians).
measurements Index subjects: a questionnaire‐based interview on clinical symptoms and family history; anthropometric measurements, clinical observations of the presence and degree of acne, hirsutism and acanthosis nigricans; transvaginal pelvic ultrasound; biochemical analyses of fasting blood sugar