title: Amniotic fluid lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in pregnancy complicated by diabetes.
abstract: The lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio in the amniotic fluid of 57 patients attending an antenatal diabetic clinic was determined. The L/S ratio in Class A, B and C patients (White, 1965) showed a similar rise with gestation to nondiabetic patients; 89 per cent in this group had an L/S ratio above 2 : 1, but of these 27 per cent developed mild or moderate respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). In Class D, F and R diabetic patients there was a little correlation of the L/S ratio with gestational age and in this group 55 per cent of the infants developed some form of RDS. The value of measuring amniotic fluid L/S ratios in the diabetic pregnancy is questioned.
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D013109:Sphingomyelins