Conclusion
GDM is associated with low level of serum adiponectin, and serum adiponectin may be used as a biomarker for detecting cases of GDM to complement blood glucose level.
Methods
A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in which 30 cases of GDM along with age-matched normal glucose tolerance (NGT) pregnant controls were taken. Informed consent was taken and subjects were screened at 24-28th weeks of gestation for GDM by glucose challenge test (GCT), followed by oral glucose tolerance test. Socio-demographic data and clinical evaluation were done using a pre-structured perfoma. Serum concentration of adiponectin and IL-1β was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
The mean value of serum adiponectin level was significantly lower, 5.76 μg/ml SD ± 2.01351 in cases of GDM compared to NGT controls (14.12 μg/dl SD ± 4.99734), P < 0.05. A cutoff value of serum adiponectin level ≤8.7 μg/ml gave a sensitivity and specificity of 100% when used alone for identifying cases of GDM in the present study. Serum level of IL-1β was less than the detectable level (<6.5 pg/ml) in NGT controls. In this study, 26.7% of GDM cases showed levels >6.5 pg/ml (median 18.2 [12.8-34.62]), rest of the cases (73.3%) had levels less than 6.5 pg/ml. A significant inverse correlation was seen between serum adiponectin and HbA1c, pre-gestational BMI, and blood glucose level at GCT. There was no significant correlation of serum IL-1β level with any of the parameters.