(HealthDay)—Irrespective of age and weight, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in Diabetes Care.

Nadira S. Kakoly, M.P.H., from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues estimated nationwide incidence rates and predictors of type 2 diabetes using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (2000 to 2015) database for women aged 18 to 42 years.

The researchers found that 186 women developed type 2 diabetes over a follow-up of 1,919 person-years (PYs). In PCOS and control subjects, the incidence rate was 4.19 and 1.02 per 1,000 PYs, respectively. The incidence rates of type 2 diabetes were 3.21, 4.67, and 8.8 on subgroup analyses for healthy-weight, overweight, and obese categories of women, respectively; in PCOS versus age-matched controls, the corresponding incidence rate ratios were 4.68, 3.52, and 2.36. After adjustment for body mass index, education, area of residence, and family history of type 2 diabetes, PCOS was one of the most influential predictors of type 2 diabetes in the entire cohort (hazard ratio, 3.23).

“Based on the moderate absolute clinical risk demonstrated here, guideline recommendations should consider type 2 diabetes screening in all women with PCOS at least every three years from early adulthood, depending on local resources and patient preference,” the authors write.