Significance of the changes of androgen indicators in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome by ROC curve

Objective To investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy with androgen indexsuch as sex hormone binding (SHBG) , total testosterone (TT), dehydroepiandrosteron sulphate(DHEA-S), androstenedione(A4) and free testosterone index(FAI) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods The clinical manifestation and biochemical index of androgen with 300 PCOS patients(PCOS group) and 120 normal women(control group) were analyzed, and the patients in PCOS group were divided into hyperandrogerisn symptoms group and without hyperandrogerisn symptoms group. The levels of TT, SHBG, DHEA-s, A4 were detected and the FAI was calculated. The changes of each androgen index between the two groups were compared, and the sensitivity and specificity of the test indexes by the area of ROC curve were compared. Results In PCOS group, the levels of TT, DHEA-S, A4 and FAI were higher than those in control group (P A4 (75.0%) > TT (53.5%) > SHBG (21.6%) > DHEA-S (11.4%), A4 and FAI in patients with PCOS had high diagnosis value than TT. Conclusions The value of A4 and FAI in the diagnosis of PCOS is better than TT, it has higher sensitivity. FAI can be used as as a sensitive and accurate indicator for diagnosis of PCOS with high androgen levels, and this test method is simple, rapid, suitable for clinical promotion. Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome; Total testosterone; Androstenedione; Free androgen index; ROC curve