title: Fibrin generation during the diabetic pregnancy.
abstract: Fibrin catabolism was measured during the pregnancy of insulin-dependent diabetic women in both a longitudinal and cross sectional fashion. Samples of maternal peripheral venous blood were obtained in 20 pregnant diabetic women between 26 and 38 weeks' gestational age. Fibrinopeptide A, the first peptide cleaved from fibrinogen during thrombin-mediated catabolism, was measured by radioimmunoassay. Intra-assay and interassay variation for fibrinopeptide A in this laboratory were 2% and 4% respectively. Antithrombin III activity was determined by the method of Odegaard. The patients ranged from 23 to 36 years. Overall blood glucose control was good as reflected in near-normal HbA1 fasting plasma glucose values. The mean HbA1 +/- 1 standard deviation was 7.1% +/- 1.2%. The mean fasting plasma glucose concentration was 101.9 mg% +/- 21.5 mg%. Mean FPA for the diabetic women exceeded control values at each gestational period. Significant differences were found in four of the seven intervals. While the highest FPA was noted in a patient with advanced diabetic vasculopathy, exclusion of this patient did not alter the overall findings. The findings were striking and suggest the need for a prospective study designed to account for White's classification of diabetes and the degree of glucose control. Because complications of the diabetic pregnancy include an increased risk of hypertension in the mother and sudden, unexplained fetal loss, two complications associated with abnormal clotting, the increase in fibrin catabolism in patients in tight metabolic control would suggest that events other than glucose regulation impact upon fibrin catabolism and possibly pregnancy outcome in the diabetic mother.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A / Q000378:metabolism*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005340:Fibrinogen; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin