Association between polycystic ovary syndrome and non-infectious uveitis

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disease in young women. It has been reported that increased proinflammatory cytokines can induce systemic inflammation. However, the association between PCOS and uveitis remains elusive. In this study, we investigate the possible association between PCOS and uveitis using Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. The incidence of non-infectious uveitis was compared between patients with and without PCOS before and after propensity score matching. Hazard ratios were determined using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. Of 558,302 female participants, 2039 had PCOS and 8122 had non-infectious uveitis. The incidence of non-infectious uveitis was 35.1 per 10,000 person-years in the PCOS patients compared to 16.6 in non-patients (P < .001). This tendency remained after 1:3 propensity score matching. The hazard ratio of PCOS using a multivariate Cox regression model was 2.79 (95% CI, 1.92-4.05; P < .001) and 2.87 (95% CI, 1.77-4.67; P < .001) before and after matching, respectively. Our results suggests that PCOS is associated with non-infectious uveitis, particularly in women of reproductive age. This may be due to hormonal changes and proinflammatory factors. Future investigations should examine the clinical features and underlying mechanisms.