[Distribution of adipose tissue and complications of obesity in overweight women with and without hirsutism].

A correlation between the serum androgen levels and the distribution pattern of adipose tissue as well as occurrence of complications of obesity were investigated in 24 obese women with and without hirsutism. The hirsute women (n = 12) displayed higher androgen levels than the women without hirsutism (n = 12) of the same age and weight and possessed a more abdominally pronounced distribution of adipose tissue measured as the quotient of waist and hip circumference (0.87 +/- 0.08 as compared to 0.76 +/- 0.06; P less than 0.05). In addition, the overweight women with hirsutism had higher fasting triglyceride levels as well as higher values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Overall, a positive correlation was found between testosterone and the ratio of waist and hip circumference (r = 0.40; P less than 0.05) and the values of diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.51; P less than 0.01). Moreover, the ratio of waist and hip circumference correlated with the systolic blood pressure values (r = 0.61; P less than 0.001), the fasting triglyceride levels (r = 0.42; P less than 0.05) as well as the basal insulin concentration (r = 0.48; P less than 0.05). These results are an indication that raised androgens predispose to accumulation of fat in the abdominal region. In turn, an android distribution of adipose tissue is associated with more frequent metabolic disorders and vascular hypertension.