Maternal and neonatal leptin levels in pregnancies complicated by gestational and insulin-dependant type I diabetes mellitus

الملخص EN

Objective :To determine the levels of leptin in the umbilical artery and veins, as well as in maternal serum in pregnancies complicated by gestational and insulin-dependant type I diabetes mellitus, and to compare them with those of normal pregnancies.

Also, to determine the correlation between birth weight and leptin concentration.

Setting : A district general hospital in the United Kingdom.

Subjects and Methods: Serum leptin levels were measured in the umbilical arteries and veins of the neonates, as well as in maternal serum from 25 normal pregnancies, 15 with gestational diabetes and 10 with pre-pregnancy insulin-dependant type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM).

Birth weight was also measured and plotted against leptin levels.

Results: There was a higher mean level of leptin in women with gestational diabetes (3.1 + 1.8 ng/ml) as compared to normal women (2.5 + 0.71 ng/ml) and those with IDDM (2.4 +1.2 ng/ml); however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (P> 0.05).

On the other hand, there was a highly statistically significant difference between leptin levels in umbilical veins of the neonates of women with gestational diabetes (4.21 + 1.5 ng/ml) as compared to neonates of normal women (1.89 + 1.75 ng/ml) and those with IDDM (1.93 + 1.92 ng/ml) (P < 0.01 for both comparisons).

Umbilical vein leptin was much higher in the umbilical veins as compared to umbilical arteries.

This difference was noted in all 3 groups (P < 0.05), and was even more marked in pregnancies with gestational diabetes.

There was a positive correlation between birth weight of the babies delivered in all groups and their corresponding umbilical vein leptin levels (r = 0.74, P< 0.05).

Conclusion :Leptin levels are significantly elevated in the umbilical veins of babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes, but not in pre-pregnancy insulin-dependant type I diabetes mellitus, as compared to normal pregnancies.

Birth weight is positively correlated with umbilical vein leptin concentration.