Is there a tendency for thrombosis in gestational diabetes mellitus?

• Published in: Journal of laboratory physicians Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 101 - 105
• Main Authors: Gorar, Suheyla, Alioglu, Bulent, Ademoglu, Esranur, Uyar, Seyit, Bekdemir, Handan, Candan, Zehra, Saglam, Beylan, Koc, Gonul, Culha, Cavit, Aral, Yalcin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer - Medknow Publications 01-07-2016; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Thieme Medical Publishers Inc; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd
• Subjects: Gestational diabetes; gestational diabetes mellitus; Health aspects; Hemostasis; hemostatic factors; Original; Physiological aspects; Risk factors; Thrombosis; Gestational diabetes mellitus; hemostatic factors; thrombosis
• ISSN: 0974-2727; 0974-7826
• DOI: 10.4103/0974-2727.180790

Context: Impact of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on the coagulation system, dynamics involved at a pathophysiological level and the exact mechanism remain unclear.
Aims: To evaluate the association between diabetes-related parameters and hemostatic factors to search for a tendency of thrombosis in GDM.
Settings and Design: Nineteen pregnant women who had GDM, 16 healthy pregnant and 13 healthy nonpregnant controls admitted to the Endocrinology outpatient clinics were enrolled in the study.
Subjects and Methods: Fasting and postprandial glucose, hemoglobin A1c and insulin levels, and insulin resistance; fructosamine, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), plasminogen activator inhibitor Type-1 (PAI-1), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), fibrinogen, plasminogen and hemoglobin levels, platelet counts, prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were studied.
Statistical Analysis Used: One-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, and post hoc Tukey honestly significant difference or Conover′s nonparametric multiple comparison tests for comparison of the study groups.
Results: PT and aPTT were significantly lower in GDM patients compared to controls (P < 0.05), whereas fibrinogen and plasminogen levels were significantly higher in this group compared to both nonpregnant and healthy pregnant controls (P < 0.05 for each). TAFI, TFPI, PAI-1, and tissue t-PA levels were not significantly different among groups.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate tendency to develop thrombosis in GDM similar to diabetes mellitus; but more comprehensive studies with larger sample size are needed to determine the relationship between GDM and hemostasis.