Investigation of the early relationship between glycated albumin and gestational diabetes

AIM: Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined as abnormal glucose metabolism first detected during pregnancy and is usually diagnosed between the 24th and 28th gestational weeks using an oral glucose tolerance test. However, no alternative parameter is routinely available. This study investigated the relationship between glycated albümin which reflects the glycemic status over 2–3 weeks and early gestational GDM in healthy pregnant women with no previous diabetes diagnosis, as well as its potential role in diagnosis and follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 213 pregnant women aged 18–45 years with no history of GDM. Participants were classified into four groups according to their gestational weeks at first admission and their 75 g OGTT results at 24–28 weeks. In addition to routine tests, GA levels were measured spectrophotometrically in early pregnancy. Glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and HbA1c levels were also evaluated simultaneously. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of these parameters for early GDM were determined using ROC analysis. RESULTS: GA, insulin, C-peptide levels at both 11–14 and 16–20 gestational weeks were significantly higher in patients diagnosed with GDM at 24–28 weeks than in control groups. No significant differences were found in HbA1c levels between groups. GA showed predictive values of 13.61% (90% sensitivity, 90% specificity) at 11–14 weeks and 13.98% (95% sensitivity, 98% specificity) at 16–20 weeks. CONCLUSION: GA levels in early pregnancy were higher in women later diagnosed with GDM. The study observed that GA levels at both 11-14 and 16-20 weeks of gestation were higher in patient groups diagnosed with GDM based on OGTT results compared to control groups. GA alone may not be diagnostic, it could serve as an alternative screening tool to OGTT in early pregnancy for identifying individuals at risk of GDM. Keywords: Gestational diabetes mellitus, glycated albumin, oral glucose tolerance test