Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2010) 22 P474

1Department of Endocrinology-Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; 2Gender Dysphoria Unit/Department of Endocrinology-Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; 3Department of Biochemistry-Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; 4Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain; 5Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.


Elevated serum ferritin levels has been reported in premenopausal women presenting polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hyperandrogenism, and thus may be involved in the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes y cardiovascular disease. In female-to-male transsexuals (FMTs) PCOS is frequent and this issue has been little studied.

Aims: To study the serum ferritin in FMTs with PCOS and their relations with markers of insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MetSyn).

Methods: Fifty-eight were evaluated using the Rotterdam 2003 criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS, aged 28.7±8.0 years (range 18–47). Their medical history was recorded, and an antrhopometric and metabolic evaluation, serum chemistry profiles including serum ferritin, hormonal analyses, and ultrasound examinations were performed. Insulin resistance (IR) markers were determined by HOMA-IR and QUICKI index.

Results: Serum ferritin was significantly higher in 22 FMTs with PCOS than in 36 FMTs without PCOS (76.1±77.4 vs 28.2±26.3 ng/ml, P=0.016). Ferritin was significantly correlationed with age (r=0.329, P=0.016), fast plasma glucose (r=0.499, P=0.000), waist circumference (r=0.496, P=0.000), systolic blood pressure (r=0.361, P=0.013), diastolic blood pressure (r=0.367, P=0.011), triglycerides (r=0.626, P=0.000), HDL-cholesterol (r=−0.302, P=0.033), HOMA-IR (r=0.373, P=0.006), and QUICKI (r=−0.330, P=0.016).

Conclusion: The FMTs with PCOS present higher levels of serum ferritin than those without PCOS, that could be related with higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, through its relationship with markers of IR and MetSyn.

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