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The Role of Afamin and Other Trace Elements in the Prediction of GDM: a Tertiary Center Experience

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of first trimester maternal serum afamin levels together with vitamin E and various elements (zinc, copper, selenium, and magnesium) for the prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). All pregnant women between 11th and 14th weeks of gestation admitted for combined test were asked to participate in the study. A total of 797 women gave permission to participate in the study between January and September 2019. Serum was obtained by centrifugation and samples were frozen and kept at − 80 °C. For final analysis, forty-three GDM patients and forty-four healthy controls were selected. Levels of afamin, vitamin E, zinc, copper, selenium, and magnesium were compared between groups. The mean levels of afamin were found to be higher in women with GDM without statistical significance (63.69 ± 82.33 vs 44.25 ± 32.25 mg/L, p = 0.149). Vitamin E levels were found to be higher in women with GDM compared to controls without any statistical significance (5.04 ± 5.33 vs 4.47 ± 3.83 μg/mL, p = 0.568). While first trimester copper concentrations were higher among diabetic women (187.26 ± 34.78 vs 175.17 ± 30.40 μg/L, p = 0.088), this was not statistically significant. The other element levels (zinc, selenium, and magnesium) were found to be similar between the two groups (p = 0.624, p = 0.088, p = 0.254, p = 0.872, respectively). The results of our study demonstrated that mean levels of afamin, vitamin E, and copper were higher in women with GDM compared to controls. Additionally, first trimester maternal zinc, selenium, and magnesium levels were similar between diabetic and healthy pregnant women. However, more studies are needed to clarify the relationship between blood trace concentrations and GDM.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the participants of this study

Funding

This study was supported by University of Health Sciences Scientific Research Coordination Unit. Project Number: 2019/070.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Etlik Zübeyde Hanım Maternity and Women’s Health Teaching and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Hasan Eroğlu, Gökçen Örgül, Nazan Vanlı Tonyalı, Aykan Yücel & Dilek Şahin

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Microbiology Department, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Derya Biriken

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Pathophysiology Department, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Naci Polat & Nuray Yazihan

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  1. Hasan Eroğlu
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  2. Gökçen Örgül
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Correspondence to Hasan Eroğlu.

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Eroğlu, H., Örgül, G., Tonyalı, N.V. et al. The Role of Afamin and Other Trace Elements in the Prediction of GDM: a Tertiary Center Experience. Biol Trace Elem Res 199, 4418–4422 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02559-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02559-0

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