Glycated Albumin and Glycemia in Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Pilot Study.
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Abstract | OBJECTIVE:  Percent glycated albumin (%GAlb) is a marker of glycemia over the past 2 to 3 weeks in nonpregnant individuals. Longitudinal changes in %GAlb extending throughout pregnancy and postpartum (PP) have not been described. We aimed to describe levels of %GAlb throughout pregnancy and PP and relationships with glycemia.STUDY DESIGN:  Fifty women among those in the Study of Pregnancy Regulation of INsulin and Glucose cohort underwent 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) at a mean of 13 weeks (V1) and 26 weeks (V2) of gestation and 11 weeks' PP. %GAlb was measured on frozen plasma samples.RESULTS:  Total albumin decreased from V1 to V2 and increased PP to levels higher than at V1. %GAlb declined between V1 and V2 ( = - 0.63% 95% CI [-0.8, -0.6]  < 0.001) and remained stable between V2 and PP ( = - 0.04% [-0.3, 0.2]  = 0.78). Body mass index (BMI) was inversely related to %GAlb in pregnancy (V1: rho = - 0.5,  = 0.0001; V2 rho = - 0.4,  = 0.006), but not PP (rho = - 0.15,  = 0.31). The longitudinal changes in %GAlb persisted after adjusting for BMI. Neither glycemia measurements nor hemoglobin A1c were associated with %GAlb at any time point, and adjustments for BMI did not reveal additional associations.CONCLUSION:  %GAlb decreases between early and late gestation and remains decreased PP, despite a PP increase in total albumin above early pregnancy values. Given the lack of correlation with OGTT values or A1c, %GAlb is unlikely to be useful in assessing glycemia in pregnant or PP women.KEY POINTS: · Changes in %GAlb extending to the postpartum period have not been described.. · %GAlb decreases in pregnancy and remains decreased postpartum, despite a postpartum increase in total albumin above early pregnancy values.. · Glycemia measurements nor A1c were associated with %GAlb at any time point, therefore, %GAlb is unlikely to be useful in assessing glycemia in pregnant or postpartum women.. |
Year of Publication | 2023
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Journal | American journal of perinatology
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Date Published | 08/2023
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ISSN | 1098-8785
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DOI | 10.1055/s-0043-1772746
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PubMed ID | 37640051
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