Gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with blood inflammatory indicators in a Chinese pregnant women population.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate relationships between blood inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers in pregnant Chinese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Southwest China and to compare the contributions of blood inflammatory indicators to GDM identification.

Subjects And Methods: In total, 1,347 pregnant women were divided by gestational week into early-, middle- and late-pregnancy groups. Fasting samples were collected for complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical indicator measurements. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to predict GDM. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the associations between blood inflammatory indicators and GDM prevalence in pregnant women.

Results: Significant differences were found in blood inflammatory indicators and metabolic markers in different pregnancy trimesters. For the pregnant women with GDM, FPG, 1 h-PG, 2 h-PG levels, NLR and PLR, WBC and neutrophil counts were statistically differences when compared with non-GDM groups. ROC curve analysis indicated that the NLR, PLR, WBC and neutrophil counts have predictive value for GDM from 24-28 gestational weeks. The FPG levels in 24th-28th weeks of pregnant women were positively correlated with the NLR, PLR, 1 h-PG, 2 h-PG levels and negatively correlated with lymphocyte count. Following adjustment for the age, PLR, and FPG level, multivariate logistic regression showed that the NLR was an independent factor predicting GDM in the 24th-28th weeks of pregnancy.

Conclusion: The blood inflammatory indicators NLR, PLR, and WBC and neutrophil counts were higher in GDM women than in healthy pregnant women, suggesting that blood inflammatory indicators are associated with GDM.