Association of retinol binding protein 4 with risk of gestational diabetes

Aim: We investigated association of maternal retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) with risk of gestational diabetes (GDM). Methods: GDM cases (N = 173) and controls (N = 187) were selected from among participants of a cohort study of risk factors of pregnancy complications. Early pregnancy (16 weeks on average) serum RBP4 concentration was measured using an ELISA-based immunoassay. Logistic regression was used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs/aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Mean serum RBP4 was significantly higher among GDM cases compared with controls (47.1 vs. 41.1 mu g/ml, respectively; p-value < 0.05). Participants in the highest quartile for serum RBP4 had a 1.89-fold higher risk of GDM compared with participants in the lowest quartile (95% CI: 1.05-3.43). However, this relationship did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for confounders (aOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 0.82-2.90). Women who were >= 35 years old and who had high RBP4 (>= 38.3 mu g/ml, the median) had a 2.31-fold higher risk of GDM compared with women who were < 35 years old and had low RBP4 (< 38.3 mu g/ml) (aOR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.26-4.23; p-value for interaction = 0.021). Conclusion: Overall, there is modest evidence of a positive association of early pregnancy elevated RBP4 concentration with increased GDM risk, particularly among women with advanced age. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.