Hypertension in polycystic ovary syndrome: is it my hormones? v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Hypertension in polycystic ovary syndrome: is it my hormones?: The impact of hyperandrogenism on sympathetic vasoconstriction and blood pressure regulation.
IRAS ID
317100
Contact name
Rachel Lord
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Hypertension (high blood pressure) costs £2.1 billion per year for our NHS, and causes damage to vital organs meaning you are 75% more likely to develop other heart and blood vessel disease. Hypertension in women is sometimes caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS affects up to 20% of all women in the UK, and can also result in problems getting pregnant. Normally, everyone’s blood pressure is controlled by the nervous system, but overactivity of the ‘fight of flight’ arm of this control system is one of the causes of hypertension. As yet, however, we don’t know whether this is true in PCOS patients. The condition is known to disrupt the normal balance of hormones that are thought to influence the nervous system activity, and could have a detrimental impact on blood pressure. Importantly, PCOS patients are often not diagnosed until they try to conceive, but these hormonal changes happen during the adolescent period and may disrupt blood pressure regulation and increase disease risk from an early age. This project will be the first to assess blood pressure regulation in girls with high androgens and in PCOS patients before and after a single dose drug intervention to block the effect of androgen hormones. This research will work out how much influence these hormone changes have on blood pressure regulation in PCOS. Understanding these things is crucial for successful treatment, preventing deaths and reducing NHS cost-burden from PCOS patients with hypertension.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
22/WA/0310
Date of REC Opinion
2 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion