International Journal of Medical Laboratory

Background and Aims: The aim of this study was profiling glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in obese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and evaluating the correlation between them.

Materials and Methods: Sample size was 90 subjects admitted to the clinical laboratory, who were divided into three groups, in each group (n=30). Subjects glycemic control was checked by HbA1c; ALP, LDH activity and serum glucose were determined with commercial kit. Age and body mass index (BMI) was recorded for each subject. The correlation analysis between blood activity of ALP, LDH activity, HbA1c, glucose, BMI and age in diabetic and normal pregnant women was carried out.

Results: The mean of HbA1c levels was significantly higher in the GDM obese women than in women with normal pregnancy (p=0.01). In contrast, the means of ALP and LDH activity were lower in the GDM obese women than in women with normal pregnancy (p=0.09, and p=0.15, respectively). Also, an increase from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy in Hb-A1c levels was occurred from 3.6±0.016 to 4.0±0.15 mmol/L, from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy an increase in ALP activity  was occurred from 174.4±12.2 to 177.5±16.3 U/L and there is an increase towards the third trimester.

Conclusions: Analysis of HbA1c level, LDH and ALP activity provides the evidence about health during the pregnancy. Using the HbA1c, LDH and ALP as a biomarker for monitoring GDM will be useful.