Preliminary reference intervals of Glycated Albumin in healthy Caucasian pregnant women

Background and aims: Glycated albumin (GA) could represent a useful biomarker in pregnant women for diagnosing and monitoring gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The establishment of reference intervals (RI) is mandatory before assessing its clinical usefulness. The RIs of GA in healthy pregnant women are not well defined. The aim of the current study was to establish the RI in a cohort consisting of Caucasian pregnant women without overt diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods: The study included 183 healthy pregnant women. GA was measured on plasma by an enzymatic method (quantILab Glycated Albumin, IL Werfen, Germany). The RI was calculated by the non-parametric and robust methods. Results: The RI of GA in the whole population was 10.16% (90%CI 9.60-10.70) and 15.44% (90%CI 14.90-16.90). GA levels decreased during pregnancy, with lower levels in the third trimester: 10.11 (90%CI 9.48-10.79) and 15.72 (90%CI 15.15-16.27) in the first trimester, 10.49 (90%CI 10.05-10.96) and 15.49 (90% CI 15.05-15.92) in the second trimester, 9.84 (90%CI 9.50-10.22) and 14.57 (90%CI 14.11-15.01) in the third trimester. Finally, a weak negative correlation was found between GA levels and body mass index. Conclusion: This is the first study establishing the RIs of GA in Caucasian healthy pregnant women.

Automated summary

The study established the reference intervals (RI) of glycated albumin (GA) in Caucasian healthy pregnant women and found that GA levels decrease throughout pregnancy.