Association of IL-6 and CRP Levels with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Aim: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common clinical condition characterized by glucose intolerance of varying severity in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Inflammatory mediators like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and acute phase protein like C-reactive protein (CRP) are supposed to contribute to development of GDM, however clinical data supporting this hypothesis is limited. This study was designed to analyze the association of inflammatory mediators like IL-6 and CRP with development of GDM in Indian females. Methods: A case control study design included pregnant women diagnosed as GDM (n=53) and pregnant women having normal glucose tolerance (n=50), screened according to the criteria of American Diabetes Association. Serum levels of interleukin -6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analysed in study subjects by enzyme linked immunoassay and correlated with various clinical parameters. Results: Serum IL-6 levels were significantly high (p<0.05) in GDM females as compared to non-GDM females. The IL-6 levels correlated with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels and postprandial sugar (PPBS) levels. Unlike IL-6, CRP levels did not show significant differences between the GDM and non-GDM females. However, we did observe a positive correlation of CRP levels with BMI, FBS and PPBS. GDM group also showed association with age, BMI and family history of diabetes. The occurrence of GDM was observed more in the females > 30 years of age in our population subset. Conclusion: High IL-6 levels in gestational diabetes may indicate a possible role for inflammation in pathophysiology of GDM. Disclosure S. Siddiqui: None. S. Waghdhare: None. M. Panda: None. S. Dubey: None. S. Jha: None.