Comparative study of plasma ghrelin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, in hyperandrogenic women and in normal controls.

Background: Ghrelin is a novel peptide associated with energy balance, obesity, and perhaps gonadal function. The present study was designed in order: (i) to compare plasma ghrelin levels between women with PCOS, women who presented only with hyperandrogenaemia and healthy controls; and (ii) to investigate the relationship between circulating ghrelin and the heterogeneity of clinical and biochemical manifestations of PCOS.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-nine women with PCOS, 25 women who had only hyperandrogenaemia and 46 controls, were studied.