HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Megia, A. Articles by Simón, I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Megia, A. Articles by Simón, I.

Insulin sensitivity and resistin levels in gestational diabetes mellitus and after parturition

Endocrinology and Diabetes Research Department, University Hospital of Tarragona ‘Joan XXIII’, ‘Pere Virgili’ Institute, ‘Rovira i Virgili’ University, 43007, Tarragona, Spain¹ Laboratory Department, Hospital ‘ St Pau i Sta. Tecla’, 43003, Tarragona, Spain and² Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, University Hospital ‘Josep Trueta’, 17007, Girona, Spain

(Correspondence should be addressed to A Megia who is now at Secció d'endocrinología, Hospital Universitari ‘Joan XXIII’ de Tarragona, c/Mallafré Guasch, 4.43007 Tarragona, Spain; Email: amc{at}comt.es)

Context: Resistin is expressed and secreted by the placenta during pregnancy. Increased serum resistin levels have been found in the second half of normal pregnancy, but its role in the pathogenesis of the insulin resistance of pregnancy is undetermined.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between circulating resistin levels and insulin sensitivity in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Design and setting: A case (n=23)–control (n=35) study was performed at the obstetrics and endocrinology clinic of a university hospital.

Patients: In total, 58 Caucasian women with a singleton pregnancy who had been referred for a 100 g oral glucose tolerance test were enrolled between the weeks 26 and 30, and 22 women with GDM were also evaluated after pregnancy.

Main outcome measures: Serum resistin and insulin sensitivity in GDM during and after pregnancy. The relationship of resistin to metabolic abnormalities was evaluated.

Results: Resistin levels were lower in GDM women than in pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (4.32±1.56 vs 9.30±1.32 ng/ml, P<0.001), and experienced a further decrease after parturition (4.24±1.56 vs 3.11±1.63 ng/ml, P=0.003). The association between low serum resistin levels and the diagnosis of GDM was independent of the degree of insulin sensitivity.

Conclusion: Lower resistin levels were observed in GDM than in NGT women and decreased after parturition, suggesting a role for resistin in the development of this disease. But we have failed to find an independent relationship between resistin levels and insulin sensitivity during pregnancy.