Maternal plasma adiponectin concentration and its association with risk of gestational diabetes

Background
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by glucose intolerance of variable degree, with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. The global prevalence of hyperglycemia in pregnant women aged 20–49 years is 16.9%, and more than 90% of cases of hyperglycemia in pregnancy are estimated to occur in low-income and middle-income countries.


Aim
To observe changes in maternal plasma adiponectin concentration during 24–32 weeks of gestation in both healthy pregnant women and women with GDM for early detection of GDM.


Patients and methods
This case–control study was carried out on 88 pregnant women divided into two groups: group I included 50 pregnant women with GDM, and group II included 38 apparently healthy pregnant women who were selected as a control group, and their age was matched with patients. All participants underwent history taking, clinical examination, and oral glucose tolerance test, and plasma adiponectin was measured in both groups. Their analyses were done at Al Azhar University Center for Virus Research and Studies.


Results
There was a highly significantly decrease in plasma adiponectin levels (P<0.001) in patients with GDM when compared with the control group. The significant association between adiponectin and GDM suggests that low adiponectin levels may predict the development of GDM.


Conclusion
Findings of our study have demonstrated that low plasma adiponectin concentration was associated with GDM