Glycosylated Serum Proteins and Glycosylated Haemoglobin in Normal Pregnancy

Abstract

Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA₁) and glycosylated serum protein concentrations (fructosamine) were monitored in 162 normal pregnancies. The response to the standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to exclude gestational diabetes. A significant increase in glucose intolerance, measured from the area under the OGTT-curve (r=0.29, P<0.0005) and a highly significant decrease in serum albumin concentration (r=−0.79, P<0.0005) due to the redistribution of body water, as occurs during pregnancy, resulted in a statistically significant decrease in serum fructosamine concentration (r=- 0.23, P<0.01) when related to gestational age in weeks.