[Waist circumference measured before the 12th week of pregnancy: correlation with serum leptin levels].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the correlation between maternal waist circumference measured before the 12th week of gestation and serum leptin levels during pregnancy, as well as to compare the leptin levels of women with and without abdominal obesity diagnosed in early pregnancy.


METHODS
Prospective study including 40 pregnant women receiving low-risk prenatal care, older than 20 years, nonsmokers, with singleton pregnancies and without chronic disease. Waist circumference was measured before the 12th week and serum leptin levels were measured between the 9th and 12th, 25th and 28th and 34th and 37th weeks of gestation. According to waist circumference measurement, the cohort was divided into two groups: with and without abdominal obesity. The Mann-Whitney and χ(2) tests were used to assess the differences between groups. The Pearson correlation coeffient was used to assess the association between waist circumference and serum leptin levels during pregnancy. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.


RESULTS
The mean weight and body mass index of patients with abdominal obesity (74.4±11.0 kg/28.9±4.1) was higher than that of patients without abdominal obesity (55.6±5.9 kg/21.1±2.4) (p=0.001). The mean leptin levels in pregnant patients with abdominal obesity (41.9±3.5 ng/mL) was higher than in patients without abdominal obesity (23.6±2.7 ng/mL) (p<0.0002). A positive correlation was obtained between the waist circumference measured during the same period and the mean serum leptin levels (r=0.7; p<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Waist circumference measured before the 12th week of pregnancy is a valid and simple method to predict the serum leptin levels throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women with abdominal obesity diagnosed before 12th week have higher mean serum leptin levels during pregnancy than those without abdominal obesity.
Disciplina de Obstetrícia do Curso de Medicina da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas e da Saúde de Juiz de Fora - Suprema - Juiz de Fora (MG), Brasil.
Didier Silveira
DS
Castellano Filho
José Otávio do Amaral
JO
Correa
Plínio dos Santos
Pdos S
Ramos
Pablo Nascimento
PN
Oliveira
Beatriz Julião Vieira
BJ
Aarestrup
Fernando Monteiro
FM
Aarestrup
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult
D020738:Leptin