SKIMS leads India’s largest PCOS study published in JAMA Open Network
Srinagar, Jul 20: Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), one of the leading institutes for medical research in India, has spearheaded country's most holistic study on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The research commissioned by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) spanned over 18 institutions in India, was led by Prof. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Director SKIMS, an endocrinologist of repute. It has been published in the prestigious JAMA Open Network, an achievement that research institutes vie for.
Speaking to Greater Kashmir, Prof Ganie said PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age and carries with it a battery of conditions that risk the lives of affected women. “It is common in India and quite common in J&K as well,” he said. He said PCOS prevalence data in India has been unreliable due to most studies being “fragmented, small-scale” mostly using “inconsistent diagnostic criteria”. The ICMR study, he said, has for the first time uncovered alarming metabolic risks among affected women. A huge 43.2% have a risk of obesity, 91.9% for dyslipidemia, nearly one-in-three is at risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, one-in-four at risk of metabolic syndrome, 3,3% for diabetes and 8.3% at hypertension. “Even women with early pre-PCOS signs showed significant health risks, highlighting the urgent need for early screening and intervention,” he said.
The study is the largest study on PCOS across Globe. It spanned over 18 premier medical institutions across India and had a sample size of 9,824 women aged 18–40 years. “It provides the first robust national data on PCOS prevalence, revealing rates of 7.2% (NIH 1990 criteria), 19.6% (Rotterdam 2003 criteria), and 13.6% (AE-PCOS criteria),” Prof Ganie said.
The study’s findings will be shaping policies on management of PCOS in India. The research resulted in there major achievements – estimated PCOS prevalence in India and its patterns across urban and rural communities, assessed metabolic complications, and conducted interventional trials at SKIMS and AIIMS New Delhi. The ICMR is set to host a national brainstorming session in July 2025 to plan long-term PCOS research and leverage this data for translational studies.
For J&K, the achievement is more than a global milestone. SKIMS Soura has been the cornerstone of healthcare here and has not only led this nationwide effort but also established the region’s first dedicated PCOS Clinic.”This one-stop facility integrates endocrinology, gynecology, dermatology, and mental health services, offering holistic care to women grappling with the physical and emotional challenges of PCOS,” Prof Ganie said. He called the completion and publication of the study a “transformative moment for women’s health in India”.
ICMR-PCOS National Task Force initiative, the M.P.-PCOS Society, in collaboration with leading clinicians and scientists has developed a comprehensive Clinical and Research Manual on PCOS. This milestone publication responds to the growing burden of endocrine-metabolic disorders among Indian women by offering a multidisciplinary, evidence-based understanding of PCOS, encompassing its metabolic, reproductive, endocrine, and psychosocial dimensions. Prof Ganie said the inaugural edition titled “Current and Emerging Concepts of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – Manual from M.P.-PCOS Society, First Edition,” published by Bentham Science Publishers will be available soon. “It brings together insights from over 70 subject-matter experts worldwide across 38 chapters and 7 thematic sections,” he said.
