Background: The prevalence of hyperglycemia first detected during pregnancy is showing an escalating increase in recent years contributed by the increasing obesity prevalence, advanced maternal age at delivery, and the universal screening protocol during the first antenatal visit. There exists a very little data on the role of HbA1c in pregnancy and the results remain inconsistent. There is a need to define diagnostic criteria to predict the adverse perinatal outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Aims and Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the role of HbA1c as a prognostic indicator of third trimester mean blood glucose in GDM pregnancies and in predicting the birth of large for gestational age (LGA) babies.
Materials and Methods: 200 pregnant women with GDM and 200 pregnant women without GDM and their neonates participated in this analytical cross-sectional study. Maternal age, height, weight, BMI, and neonatal birth weight were recorded. Third trimester maternal HbA1c level was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The association between HbA1c and LGA births was analyzed.
Results: The mean HbA1c levels and percentage of LGA births were high in GDM group. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed association between high HbA1c values and LGA births in GDM. A Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to derive the optimal cut-off value, sensitivity, and specificity of HbA1c in predicting birth of LGA neonates in GDM.
Conclusion: This study shows that high third trimester HbA1c levels in GDM increase the risk of LGA births. Further studies are needed to define standard cut-off values of glycated Hb in each trimester of pregnancy.
Key words: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus; Glycated Hemoglobin; HbA1c; Large for Gestational Age; Macrosomia
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