Specialist available to discuss PCOS and patient quality of life

[Guest guest]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own

opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic.

------------------------

Public release date: 29-Dec-2004

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/cmc-sat122704.php

Contact: Van

sandy@...

1-

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Specialist available to discuss the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and

patient quality of life

LOS ANGELES (Embargoed Until Dec. 29, 2004) – The polycystic ovary

syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among

reproductive-age women, produces a wide variety of body changes with

both physical and emotional implications for sufferers.

Many women with PCOS are found to have insulin resistance, a condition

that allows excessive levels of insulin to circulate in the blood and

increases the risk for Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

PCOS is also the leading cause of androgen excess in women. Although

these " male " hormones normally exist in all women in small amounts,

excessive levels of androgens often lead to the development of such

symptoms as acne, weight gain, the growth of unwanted hair in male-type

patterns, and menstrual irregularities. PCOS is one of the leading

causes of infertility in women.

Because generic questionnaires designed to measure patients'

health-related quality of life are unlikely to capture the full impact

of the condition or detect small but meaningful improvements in therapy,

researchers at McMaster University in Ontario and the University of

Alabama, Birmingham (UAB) have developed a PCOS-specific questionnaire.

It is the first health-status instrument to measure disease-related

dysfunction in PCOS sufferers for use in clinical trials and other research.

The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Questionnaire (PCOSQ) is described in the

December issue of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. One of the

authors of the article, " Health-Related Quality of Life in Women With

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Validation of a Self Administered

Questionnaire, " is A. Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA, Chair of

Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director of the

Center for Androgen-Related Disorders, and Executive Director of the

Androgen Excess Society, an international research organization. Before

joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Azziz served as Professor in the Department of

Obstetrics and Gynecology and in the Department of Medicine at UAB.

" When you look at a large population of women with the polycystic ovary

syndrome, there is a clear reduction in quality of life, driven

primarily by hirsutism and excess weight. The good news is that quality

of life perception does improve with therapy, " says Dr. Azziz, who now

serves as Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and

Gynecology and Professor in the Department of Medicine at The

Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Dr. Azziz, who holds The Helping Hand of Los Angeles Chair in Obstetrics

and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai, is available for interviews on the

subjects of androgen excess, PCOS and the related quality of life issues.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/