OBJECTIVE: Metabolic disturbances are well-recognized clinical features of 
polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been 
widely used as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease 
(CVD). CIMT in women with PCOS has been investigated in many studies, but there 
has been only one report in the Korean population. The aim of the present study 
was to compare the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis in young untreated 
Korean women with PCOS and age-matched controls, specifically by measuring their 
CIMT.
METHODS: CIMT was measured by one radiologist in 56 PCOS patients and 56 
controls. To compare the CIMT according to PCOS phenotypes, women with PCOS were 
divided into two subgroups according to the presence of hyperandrogenism.
RESULTS: Although PCOS patients were more obese and had higher blood pressure 
and insulin resistance index than the age-matched controls, the CIMT was not 
different between the two groups (0.49 ± 0.09 mm in PCOS patients vs. 0.50 ± 
0.11 mm in controls, respectively, p = 0.562). When the CIMT in the control 
group was compared with hyperandrogenic and non-hyperandrogenic PCOS groups, 
also no significant differences were found.
CONCLUSION: Despite the significant differences in some vascular risk factors 
between women with PCOS and controls, PCOS patients did not have a significantly 
higher CIMT (even in the hyperandrogenic subgroups). Although our study did not 
show the increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in PCOS patients, the 
role of CIMT continues to be investigated considering the importance of 
screening and monitoring CVD risk factors in women with PCOS.