Glycated plasma proteins in normal and diabetic mothers and their offsprings

: Glycated plasma proteins (GPP) and glycated hemoglobin (G Hb) has been evaluated in 134 non-diabetics (ND), 299 women with potential abnormality of glucose tolerance (pot.AGT), 75 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 34 insulin dependent diabetics (IDDM) during pregnancy or postpartum including 94 cord blood determinations. Mean HbA1c levels were significantly elevated in IDDM (6.6 +/- 1.3% M +/- SD) compared to ND (5.1 +/- 0.7%; P less than 0.01), but were similar for the other groups studied. Mean GPP were increased for the IDDM (0.58 +/- 0.29 nmol 5- HMF/mg protein; M +/- SD) and the IGT-group (0.53 +/- 0.22) over ND (0.3 +/- 0.13; P less than 0.01) and the Pot.AGT group (0.37 +/- 0.14; P less than 0.01). 6% of the ND, 15% of the Pot AGT-, 52% of the IGT- and 62% of the IDDM group were found to have GPP values exceeding the 97% confidential limit of the ND. However, the large overlap of individual values from patients with different degrees of glucose intolerance with the normal range of pregnancy precludes the use of GPP as a screening parameter for IGT during pregnancy. A 30-35% reduction of fetal hemoglobin- and plasma protein glycosylation relative to maternal values was observed.