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A Potential Link Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Asthma: a Meta-Analysis

  • Reproductive Endocrinology: Original Article
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Abstract

While there exists some evidence indicating a higher prevalence of asthma in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients, whether PCOS is an independent risk factor for asthma remains debatable. In this report, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the association between PCOS and asthma. Using of the terms “PCOS,” “polycystic ovary syndrome,” “polycystic ovarian syndrome,” “Stein Leventhal Syndrome,” “asthma,” and “wheezing,” PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Trial Register, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases were searched for studies published from their inceptions to February 2021. The data were extracted and a meta-analysis was conducted under the guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A random-effects model was used to calculate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). A total of 6 articles involving 26,876 PCOS women and 156,143 healthy controls were included in this survey. Our results indicate that PCOS patients showed an increased risk of asthma (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.40–2.19, I2 = 91.2%, P = 0.000, random-effects model). No statistically significant differences were obtained when these data were stratified by region, diagnostic criteria for asthma, and study design. PCOS is associated with a higher risk of asthma, a relationship which is independent of region, diagnostic criteria for bronchitis, and study design.

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Data Availability

The datasets analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author if required.

Abbreviations

PCOS:

polycystic ovary syndrome

CI:

confidence interval

PRISMA:

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

OR:

odds ratio

RR:

relative risk

ICD:

International Classification of Diseases

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81671423, No. 81402130, and No. 81501247), the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (No. 151039), and the Distinguished Talent Program of Shengjing Hospital (No. ME76).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China

    Honghao Sun, Da Li, Jiao Jiao, Jiansu Bian & Xiuxia Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Congenital Malformation, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China

    Qing Liu

Authors
  1. Honghao Sun
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  2. Da Li
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  3. Jiao Jiao
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  4. Qing Liu
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  5. Jiansu Bian
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  6. Xiuxia Wang
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Contributions

Xiuxia Wang and Da Li designed the study. Honghao Sun and Jiao Jiao contributed to literature search, data extraction, and statistics. Qing Liu and Jiansu Bian prepared the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiuxia Wang.

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Sun, H., Li, D., Jiao, J. et al. A Potential Link Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Asthma: a Meta-Analysis. Reprod. Sci. 29, 312–319 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-021-00662-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-021-00662-8

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