Men having sister with PCOS have increased risk of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes: Study

Men with at least one sister who were born in Sweden between 1973 and 2013 were tracked from the age of 5 until December 31, 2018 (n = 1,098,203), and possible PCOS diagnoses in the sisters were found. Cox regression was used to assess the risk of receiving a clinical diagnosis of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or obesity.

In a subgroup, logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between blood pressure measurements taken at ages 18 to 20 and body mass index categories. Parental education and birth year were taken into account in the analyses. When compared to males with unaffected sisters, men who had a sister with PCOS were more likely to be obese, have type 2 diabetes, and have high blood pressure.

Having a sibling with PCOS (n = 2970) was linked to being overweight and obese but not having high blood pressure in the subcohort assessed at ages 18 to 20 (n = 147 802).

Overall, men who have sisters with PCOS are more likely to experience negative cardiometabolic disorders starting in their early adult years. These findings advance our understanding of how PCOS affects families and identify a patient population that might profit from focused early screening to avoid and lessen the long-term health effects of cardiometabolic disorders.

Reference:

Kanina, A., Stener-Victorin, E., Butwicka, A., Öberg, A. S., Rosenqvist, M. A., & Cesta, C. E. (2025). Adverse cardiometabolic outcomes in men with sisters with polycystic ovary syndrome. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaf121