Overview
- The Lancet study published Monday analyzed U.S. insurance claims from 2000–2022 for 413,450 women aged 18–50 with PMOS and more than 2 million women without the condition and found about a fourfold higher rate of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in the PMOS group.
- Researchers say the study is observational so it shows an association not proof of cause, and the higher risk persisted after adjustment for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other traditional risk factors.
- National guidance from NICE this month already advises annual clinical review for people with PMOS, and experts are urging earlier cardiovascular screening and better clinician education to improve prevention and counselling.
- Longstanding data show PMOS is frequently underdiagnosed and dismissed in practice, with a Boston Medical Center record review finding 38 percent of women who met diagnostic criteria had no official diagnosis and missed cases were higher among Black women, Medicaid patients and non-English speakers.
- Clinicians and advocates call for coordinated multidisciplinary care models, more research into biological mechanisms and trials to test whether treatments such as GLP-1 drugs or hormonal therapies can reduce long-term heart risk.