Evaluation of Triglyceride to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Atherogenic Indices in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy. Triglyceride (TG) to high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) ratio is an indicator of insulin resistance.

Methods: Controversial findings of recent studies suggest that ethnicity and other possible factors may affect risk of developing GDM. In this study, 130 pregnant women of 18 to 35 years old were recruited. Demographic data as well as gestational age at the time of the test and blood glucose levels before and after oral glucose tolerance test were obtained from all subjects. TG/HDL-C ratios were significantly higher in women with GDM compared to controls.

Results: The difference of mean levels of non-HDL-c and total-cholesterol was not statistically significant between cases and controls. The optimal cut off point for TG/HDL-C and GDM was 2.66 with sensitivity and specificity of 86.2% and 52.3%, respectively with positive and negative predictive values of 64.4% and 79.1%, respectively.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated that GDM can affect lipid profiles and lipoprotein metabolisms, of which, a contentious finding was lower LDL-c in women with GDM. The optimal cutoff point for predicting GDM was remarkably different from the values presented in earlier studies. It is suggested that a high TG/HDL ratio is independent of the role of family history.