Iron level during pregnancy may be biomarker of gestational diabetes risk
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Pregnant women may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes if they have elevated vs. reduced quantities of ferritin, according to findings published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
“It would be reasonable to conclude that higher ferritin was associated with gestational diabetes risk,” Yu‐Hong Zhao, MD, PhD, of the department of clinical epidemiology at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, and colleagues wrote. “Additionally, the present study suggested that pregnant women should pay attention to the level of ferritin during pregnancy to prevent gestational diabetes risk. Ferritin might become a new biomarker to prevent gestational diabetes risk.”
Zhao and colleagues calculated relative gestational diabetes risks based on pooled data from 4,690 pregnant women from 10 studies. According to the researchers, the focus of each study was a potential connection between gestational diabetes and ferritin as an indicator of iron stores.
Gestational diabetes was present among 1,040 of the study participants. Women with elevated quantities of ferritin had a greater relative risk for gestational diabetes than those with reduced quantities (RR = 1.87; 95% CI, 1.5-2.34). More specifically, gestational diabetes risk rose by 8% with each 10 µg/L rise in ferritin. These findings were consistent whether authors for individual studies chose the first trimester or second semester to assess ferritin, according to the researchers.
“At present, studies have shown that ferritin is a robust biomarker for type 2 diabetes mellitus,” the researchers wrote. “Furthermore, the dose-response relationship between ferritin and gestational diabetes showed that the risk of gestational diabetes is on the rise. Based on an increased concentration of ferritin in pregnant women, the ferritin level can be used as a biomarker to predict the risk of gestational diabetes.”
The researchers further noted that in Western countries, there was a greater relative risk for gestational diabetes in those with elevated quantities of ferritin vs. those with reduced quantities (RR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.6-3.1), whereas in “Asian countries,” there was 1.76 times greater risk when comparing groups (95% CI, 1.24-2.49).
“Based on subgroup analyses, we found that the Western population with high ferritin concentrations had a higher risk of gestational diabetes,” the researchers wrote. “It has been suggested that the Western dietary model might play an important role in gestational diabetes.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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