Putrescine as a Novel Biomarker of Maternal Serum in First Trimester for the Prediction of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Nested Case-Control Study

AimsEarly identification of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) aims to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Currently, no acknowledged biomarker has proven clinically useful for the accurate prediction of GDM. In this study, we tested whether serum putrescine level changed in the first trimester and could improve the prediction of GDM. MethodsThis study is a nested case-control study conducted in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. We examined serum putrescine at 8-12 weeks pregnancy in 47 women with GDM and 47 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched normoglycaemic women. Anthropometric, clinical and laboratory variables were obtained during the same period. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the discrimination and calibration of the prediction models. ResultsSerum putrescine in the first trimester was significantly higher in women who later developed GDM. When using putrescine alone to predict the risk of GDM, the AUC of the nomogram was 0.904 (sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 83%, 95% CI=0.832-0.976, P<0.001). When combined with traditional risk factors (prepregnant BMI and fasting blood glucose), the AUC was 0.951 (sensitivity of 89.4% and specificity of 91.5%, 95% CI=0.906-0.995, P<0.001). ConclusionThis study revealed that GDM women had an elevated level of serum putrescine in the first trimester. Circulating putrescine may serve as a valuable predictive biomarker for GDM.

Automated summary

This study found that women with GDM had elevated levels of serum putrescine in the first trimester. Circulating putrescine may serve as a valuable predictive biomarker for GDM.