Is skin autofluorescence a marker of metabolic memory in pregnant women with diabetes?

Skin Autofluorescence of Pregnant Women With Diabetes Predicts the Macrosomia of Their Children

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulated during long-term hyperglycemia are involved in diabetes complications and can be estimated by skin autofluorescence (sAF). During pregnancy, hyperglycemia exposes women to the risk of having a macrosomic newborn. The aim of this study was to determine whether sAF of women with diabetes during a singleton pregnancy could predict macrosomia in their newborns. Using an AGE Reader, we measured the sAF at the first visit of 343 women who were referred to our diabetology department during years 2011-2015. Thirty-nine women had pregestational diabetes, 95 early gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and 209 late GDM. Macrosomia was defined as birth weight ≥4,000 g and/or large for gestational age ≥90th percentile. Forty-six newborns were macrosomic. Their mothers had 11% higher sAF compared with other mothers: 2.03 ± 0.30 arbitrary units (AUs) vs. 1.80 ± 0.34 (P < 0.0001). Using multivariate logistic regression, the relation between sAF and macrosomia was significant (odds ratio 4.13 for 1-AU increase of sAF [95% CI 1.46-11.71]) after adjusting for several potential confounders. This relation remained significant after further adjustment for HbA_1c (among 263 women with available HbA_1c) and for women with GDM only. sAF of pregnant women with diabetes, a marker of long-term hyperglycemic exposure, predicts macrosomia in their newborns.

High Fasting Plasma Glucose during Early Pregnancy: A Review about Early Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is nowadays routinely measured during early pregnancy to detect preexisting diabetes (FPG ≥ 7 mmol/L). This screening has concomitantly led to identify early intermediate hyperglycemia, defined as FPG in the 5.1 to 6.9 mmol/L range, also early gestational diabetes mellitus (eGDM). Early FPG has been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, but the recommendation by the IADPSG to refer women with eGDM for immediate management is more pragmatic than evidence based. Although eGDM is characterized by insulin resistance and associated with classical risk factors for type 2 diabetes and incident diabetes after delivery, it is not necessarily associated with preexisting prediabetes. FPG ≥ 5.1 mmol/L in early pregnancy is actually poorly predictive of gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosed after 24 weeks of gestation. An alternative threshold should be determined but may vary according to ethnicity, gestational age, and body mass index. Finally, observational data suggest that early management of intermediate hyperglycemia may improve prognosis, through reduced gestational weight gain and potential early introduction of hypoglycemic agents. Considering all these issues, we suggest an algorithm for the management of eGDM based on early FPG levels that would be measured in case of risk factors. Nevertheless, interventional randomized trials are still missing.