Hirsutism and Acanthosis Nigricans Are the Most Reliable Markers of PCOS, finds study

From PracticeUpdate:

74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology; March 8, 2016—Washington DC

Timothy Hunter Schmidt, MD, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and a research team led by Kanade Shinkai, MD, PhD set out to identify cutaneous and systemic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to help distinguish women who do and do not meet diagnostic criteria. Dr. Shinkai said, “We undertook the study to better understand the skin manifestations of polycystic ovary syndrome. It was the first study to systematically characterize the detailed skin findings of this disease in a large, racially diverse cohort of women.”

The team studied a racially diverse referred sample of women seen at their polycystic ovary syndrome multidisciplinary clinic over a 6-year period between 2006 and 2012.

The team concluded that:

•  Hirsutism and acanthosis nigricans are the most reliable cutaneous markers of polycystic ovary syndrome and require a comprehensive skin examination to diagnose. 
• When present, hirsutism and acanthosis nigricans should raise clinical concern that warrants further diagnostic evaluation for metabolic comorbidities that may lead to long-term complications. 
• Acne & androgenic alopecia are prevalent but unreliable markers of biochemical hyper androgenism in this population.
• “A significant result of the study is that it helps identify key skin features that distinguish women with polycystic ovary syndrome from those suspected of having the syndrome but do not have the disease. This information will hopefully improve the diagnostic accuracy of clinicians assessing these patients (and also avoid unnecessary diagnostic workup of women who do not need it).” 
• “Future directions include understanding the skin findings in subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and also, the best medical and surgical treatments for the syndrome.”