Relationship between serum uric acid, creatinine, albumin and gestational diabetes mellitus

Background: During normal pregnancy, plasma concentrations of creatinine and uric acid normally decrease as a consequence of their increased glomerular filtration. Hyperuricemia in pregnant women has been associated with several pregnancy complications. We researched the relationship between serum uric acid, creatinine and albumin levels in pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods: A total of 112 patients were evaluated, 56 of whom had gestational diabetes. All of the patients had single estimations of serum uric acid, creatinine, albumin and liver enzymes carried out on booking between the 24th and 28th gestational weeks. The women were followed up throughout pregnancy. Results: Significant differences were found between the two groups for maternal age, gravida, parity and maternal weight gain during pregnancy, but not for body mass index or blood pressure. Creatinine levels were significantly higher in the diabetic group than in the control group [0.6 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.43 +/- 0.1 mg/dL (53.04 +/- 13.26 mu mol/L vs. 38.01 +/- 8.84 mmol/L), p < 0.001]. Uric acid levels were also higher in the diabetic patients, but this elevation was not statistically ignificant [4.42 +/- 1.09 vs. 4.1 +/- 0.84 mg/dL (260.78 +/- 64.31 mmol/L vs. 241.49 +/- 49.56 mmol/L), p > 0.05]. There were no differences in mean albumin concentrations or liver function tests. Conclusions: In this prospective study of Turkish women, we found that patients with gestational diabetes had significantly higher levels of creatinine than normal pregnant women.