Circulating vascular progenitor cells and central arterial stiffness in polycystic ovary syndrome.

Subjects with Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The mechanism of this enhanced risk is unclear. Circulating vascular progenitor cells (VPC) are immature bone marrow derived cells capable of differentiating into mature endothelial cells. VPC number/function and central arterial stiffness predict cardio-metabolic disease in at-risk populations.We studied VPC and arterial stiffness measures in non-obese PCOS subjects as compared to age and body mass index (BMI) matched healthy controls in a cross-sectional study.Fourteen subjects with PCOS and 12 controls of similar age, BMI (all