Cord blood leptin levels in normal pregnancies, pregnancy induced hypertension and gestational diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
To compare cord blood leptin concentrations between normal pregnancy, pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Academic institutes and a tertiary care maternal hospital.


METHODS
48 newborns of normal pregnancies (N=18), pregnancy induced hypertension (N=16), and gestational diabetes mellitus (N=14) were studied. Cord blood samples were collected and newborn anthropometric indices recorded at delivery. Leptin concentrations were measured using an enzyme immunoassay.


RESULTS
Cord blood leptin levels were significantly different between the 3 groups (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA; P=0.0064), and the difference resulted mainly from higher levels in GDM than in PIH [geometric mean (95% CI) for GDM: 10.89 (6.30, 18.84) vs PIH: 3.49 (2.14, 5.69) ng/ml (Dunn's multiple comparison: P<0.01). This pattern persisted even when leptin levels were normalized to the ponderal index (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA P=0.0035; Dunn's multiple comparison: P<0.01). Leptin levels significantly and positively correlated with the ponderal index in normal pregnancy (Spearman r=0.506, p<0.05) and with birth weight in PIH (r=0.5463, p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In GDM cord blood leptin levels are significantly higher, and a source other than fetal adipocytes appears to contribute to this.
Silva
N Y
NY
Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Tennekoon
K H
KH
Senanayake
L
L
Karunanayake
E H
EH
D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*
D020738:Leptin