Effects of dynamic change in fetuin-A levels from the first to the second trimester on insulin resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus: a nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of dynamic change in fetuin-A levels before the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on insulin resistance and GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 135 women with GDM and 135 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) women with matched age (±2 years old) and gestational age at taking the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were included in this nested case-control study. Fasting venous blood samples were collected at the prenatal visit of the first trimester and during OGTT of the second trimester. Plasma concentration of fetuin-A and insulin was determined. RESULTS: The plasma fetuin-A concentration in women with GDM was significantly higher than NGT controls in both the first trimester (medians: 403.0 pg/mL vs 273.4 pg/mL; p<0.05) and the second trimester (medians: 475.7 pg/mL vs 290.8 pg/mL; p<0.05) and notably increased from the first to the second trimester. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the change in fetuin-A concentration was associated with the changes in fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance, and HOMA of β-cell function (HOMA-β) (p<0.05). The highest quartile of the increase in fetuin-A concentration from the first to the second trimester was associated with a higher risk of developing GDM compared with the lowest quartile (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.05 to 4.37). CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic change in fetuin-A levels was associated with the changes in insulin resistance and β-cell function from the first to the second trimester, and was associated with an increased risk of the development of GDM, indicating that fetuin-A could be a biomarker to predict the risk of GDM. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03814395.