Serum C-reactive Protein in GDM Patients in Second Trimester of Pregnancy in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: GDM is common, with raising prevalence, and is associated with a variety of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes and  higher morbidity. Many studies have been done recently to establish relationship between C-reactive protein level and GDM. But conflicting conclusions were found among different study populations. Objective:  Aim of this study was to assess the correlation between C-reactive protein  level and GDM in Bangladeshi population. Materials and Methods: This case control study was carried out in BIRDEM General Hospital from July 2019 to June 2020. One hundred subjects were selected. Among them 50 were GDM cases and 50 were healthy pregnant controls in second trimester. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data. BMI was calculated. OGTT, HbA1c and C-reactive protein level were measured in all study subjects. Independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation test and multiple logistic regression analysis were done. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software, version 23.0 for windows. Results: Mean age of GDM cases were 29.62± 3.96 years and that of controls were 28.54± 4.1 years.  No significant difference between GDM and healthy pregnant women was found. Mean BMI of GDM cases was 29.63± 3.45 and of healthy controls was 24.17±2.10 kg/m² (significantly higher in GDM cases with p<0.001). FBG, 2 hrPPG and HbA1c levels were significantly higher in GDM cases than in controls. Serum CRP level of GDM cases and controls were 13.63 ±4.20 mg/L  and 4.35±2.10 mg/L respectively. CRP was significantly higher (p<0.001) in GDM cases than in healthy controls. Age does not show any significant correlation with any of the glycemic status in GDM cases. BMI correlated significantly with FBG (p<0.05), 2-hr PPG (p<0.05) and HbA1c (p<0.001) in GDM cases. CRP correlated significantly with FBG (p<0.001), 2-hr PPG (p<0.01) and HbA1c (p<0.001) in GDM cases. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed significant association between HbA1c and CRP ( p<0.05)  in our GDM study subjects. Conclusion : This study revealed that  CRP level is significantly elevated among women with GDM compared with women with normal glucose tolerance, especially during the second trimester.

J Enam Med Col 2023; 13(1): 22-28