Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani1, Sonia Minooee2, Fereidoun Azizi3. 1. Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: ramezani@endocrine.ac.ir. 2. Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: s.minooee@gmail.com. 3. Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: azizi@endocrine.ac.ir.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Hirsutism may be a symptom of androgen excess but there is still no clear definition and criterion for its clinical evaluation. The aims of the present study were to develop a simpler diagnostic method for assessment of hirsutism which examines fewer body areas and to evaluate its sensitivity and specificity in among a general population of Iranian women. STUDY DESIGN: The study was conducted among 1000 reproductive-age women recruited from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, using random systematic sampling. It had two phases: (1) the discovery phase, which aimed at developing a simpler method according to the modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mFG) system and a new cut-off point to assess hirsutism, and (2) the validation phase, aimed at assessing the sensitivity and specificity of the simplified method in a non-dependent study, the Iranian PCOS Prevalence Study. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the subset of lip, abdomen and thighs (cut-off point 4) were 91.5% and 92%, respectively, with the highest positive predictive value (72.2%) and concordance percentage (91.9%) in comparison to our gold standard of mFG score≥8. CONCLUSION: The three-area subset of lip, lower abdomen and thighs serves as a simple and less invasive method for hirsutism assessment and can be used in large epidemiologic studies.
OBJECTIVE:Hirsutism may be a symptom of androgen excess but there is still no clear definition and criterion for its clinical evaluation. The aims of the present study were to develop a simpler diagnostic method for assessment of hirsutism which examines fewer body areas and to evaluate its sensitivity and specificity in among a general population of Iranian women. STUDY DESIGN: The study was conducted among 1000 reproductive-age women recruited from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, using random systematic sampling. It had two phases: (1) the discovery phase, which aimed at developing a simpler method according to the modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mFG) system and a new cut-off point to assess hirsutism, and (2) the validation phase, aimed at assessing the sensitivity and specificity of the simplified method in a non-dependent study, the Iranian PCOS Prevalence Study. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the subset of lip, abdomen and thighs (cut-off point 4) were 91.5% and 92%, respectively, with the highest positive predictive value (72.2%) and concordance percentage (91.9%) in comparison to our gold standard of mFG score≥8. CONCLUSION: The three-area subset of lip, lower abdomen and thighs serves as a simple and less invasive method for hirsutism assessment and can be used in large epidemiologic studies.
Authors: Heidi Vanden Brink; Amy D Willis; Brittany Y Jarrett; Annie W Lin; Steven Soler; Siân Best; Erica L Bender; Andrew K Peppin; Kathleen M Hoeger; Marla E Lujan Journal: Fertil Steril Date: 2016-01-27 Impact factor: 7.329