Estimated glomerular filtration rate and cardiometabolic risk factors in a longitudinal cohort of children.

Associations between glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cardiometabolic risk factors have been reported in adult and pediatric patients with renal disease. We aimed to assess the relationship between the estimated GFR (eGFR) and cardiometabolic risk factors in apparently healthy children. A longitudinal study in 401 asymptomatic Caucasian children (mean age 8 years) followed up after 4 years (mean age 12 years). GFR was estimated using the pediatric form of the FAS-equation. Children were classified at baseline according to their obesity status (normal weight and overweight) and according to eGFR levels (lower, average, and higher). The association of eGFR with anthropometric data [body mass index (BMI) and waist], blood pressure [systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)], metabolic parameters [glucose, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and serum lipids], and renal ultrasonography measurements were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Baseline eGFR associated with several cardiometabolic risk factors at follow-up including higher waist, SBP, HOMA-IR, and kidney size (all p < 0.0001) in both normal weight and overweight children. In multivariate analysis, baseline eGFR was independently associated with follow-up HOMA-IR and SBP in both normal weight and overweight subjects (model R2: 0.188-0.444), and with follow-up BMI and waist in overweight subjects (model R2: 0.367-0.477). Moreover, children with higher filtration rates at baseline showed higher waist, SBP, DBP, HOMA-IR and renal size both at baseline and follow-up. eGFR is related to insulin resistance, blood pressure and adiposity measures in school-age children. eGFR may help to profile the cardiometabolic risk of children.

Is first-trimester HbA1c useful in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes?

AIMS: To evaluate the usefulness and efficacy of first-trimester HbA1c in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM). METHODS: Prospective observational of consecutive pregnant women. All women had a first-trimester HbA1c determination and GDM screening at 24-28weeks of pregnancy using a two-step approach. A ROC curve was drawn to determine the sensitivity and specificity of HbA1c in detecting GDM and a rule-in rule-out diagnostic algorithm was proposed. The cost of the proposed algorithm was calculated. RESULTS: 152 (13.1%) of 1195 women were diagnosed of GDM. The area under the ROC curve for HbA1c to detect GDM was 0.679 (95%CI 0.631-0.727). A rule-out threshold for HbA1c of 4.8% (29mmol/mol) had 96.7% sensitivity (95%CI 93.9-99.5), 10.1% specificity (95%CI 8.3-12.0) and a negative predictive value of 95.3% (95%CI 91.3-99.3). A rule-in value of 5.6% (38mmol/mol) had a positive predictive value of 31.6% (95%CI 24.4-38.9), 89.3% specificity (95%CI 87.4-91.2) and 32.9% sensitivity (95%CI 25.4-40.4). The low positive predictive value of the rule-in threshold precludes its use for GDM diagnosis, but could be used to identify women at high risk of GDM in whom the diagnosis can be established using a one-step approach. The overall saving of the proposed algorithm would be 6.5% of the total cost with the standard strategy. CONCLUSIONS: A first-trimester HbA1c does not have sufficient sensitivity or specificity to diagnose GDM, although the use of a higher and lower threshold could simplify the diagnostic process by reducing the number of oral glucose tolerance test, associated costs and patient inconvenience.

Role of First-Trimester HbA1c as a Predictor of Adverse Obstetric Outcomes in a Multiethnic Cohort.

Context: Risk of obstetric complications increases linearly with rising maternal glycemia. Testing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is an effective option to detect hyperglycemia, but its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. Emerging data sustain that an early HbA1c ≥5.9% could act as a pregnancy risk marker. Objective: To determine, in a multiethnic cohort, whether an early ≥5.9% HbA1c could be useful to identify women without diabetes mellitus at increased pregnancy risk. Design and Setting: A prospective study was conducted at Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, between April 2013 and September 2015. Patients and Intervention: A total of 1631 pregnant women had an HbA1c measurement added to their first antenatal blood tests and were screened for gestational diabetes mellitus at 24 to 28 weeks' gestation. Outcome Measures: Primary outcome was macrosomia. Secondary outcomes were preeclampsia, preterm birth, and cesarean section rate. Results: A total of 1228 pregnancies were included for outcome analysis. Women with HbA1c ≥5.9% (n = 48) showed a higher rate of macrosomia (16.7% vs 5.9%, P = 0.008) and a tendency toward a higher rate of preeclampsia (9.32% vs 3.9%, P = 0.092). There were no statistically significant differences in other pregnancy outcomes. After adjusting for potential confounders, an HbA1c ≥5.9% was independently associated with a 3-fold increased risk of macrosomia (95% confidence interval, 1.127 to 8.603, P = 0.028) and preeclampsia (95% confidence interval, 1.086 to 11.532, P = 0.036). Conclusions: In a multiethnic population, an early HbA1c ≥5.9% measurement identifies women at high risk for poorer pregnancy outcomes independently of gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis later in pregnancy. Further studies are required to establish cutoff points adapted to each ethnic group and to assess whether early detection and treatment are of benefit.