Hypertensive Blood Pressure in Adolescent Females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Adolescent PCOS and hypertensive blood pressure.

Abstract

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with hypertension in women, but few population studies have examined findings among adolescents. This retrospective study examines PCOS and hypertensive blood pressure (BP) in a large adolescent population receiving routine healthcare.

Methods: Among females aged 13-17 years who had a well-child visit with systolic/diastolic BP measured in a Northern California healthcare system (2013-2019), the outcome of hypertensive BP (≥130/80 mmHg) was examined. PCOS was based on clinical diagnosis (ICD-9/10 256.4/E28.2) within one year of the visit. Overweight and obesity were defined by body mass index 85^th to <95^th percentile and ≥95^th percentile, respectively; 1.7% with underweight (<5^th percentile) were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association of PCOS and hypertensive BP, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, BMI category, and estimated neighborhood deprivation index. Analyses were conducted in 2023-2024.

Results: The cohort included 224,418 females (mean age 14.9±1.4 years; 34.3% non-Hispanic White, 30.1% Hispanic, 19.5% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 9.7% Black. Overall, 18.7% had overweight and 15.8% had obesity. The prevalence of hypertensive BP was 7.2%, much higher for those with PCOS (18.2%) versus no PCOS (7.1%, p<0.001). In adjusted analyses, PCOS was associated with 1.25-fold greater odds of hypertensive BP [95% confidence interval 1.10-1.42]). Similar findings were seen among the subset with obesity (odds ratio 1.23 [1.06-1.42]).

Conclusions: Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents with PCOS had hypertensive BP. PCOS was associated with 25% increased adjusted odds of hypertensive BP, emphasizing the importance of BP surveillance in this population with higher cardiometabolic risk.