(HealthDay News) – Glycosylated fibronectin may be able to identify pregnant women during the first trimester at risk for developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Juha P. Rasanen, MD, PhD, from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues measured serum concentrations of glycosylated (Sambucus nigra lectin-reactive) fibronectin, adiponectin, sex hormone-binding globulin, placental lactogen, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in 90 pregnant women (who subsequently developed GDM) at 5–13 weeks of gestation and in 92 control participants.
The researchers observed a significant association between GDM and first-trimester serum concentrations of glycosylated fibronectin, adiponectin, high-sensitivity CRP, and placental lactogen. Glycosylated fibronectin remained independently associated with GDM after adjusting for maternal factors and other markers. Above a threshold of 120mg/L, glycosylated fibronectin levels correctly identified 57 GDM case group participants, with a positive predictive value of 63% and a negative predictive value of 95%, at a population prevalence of 12%.
“First-trimester glycosylated fibronectin is a potential pregnancy-specific biomarker for early identification of women at risk for GDM,” the authors write.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to DiabetOmics, which funded the study.
