Table 1.
Clinical features of the study population.
| CTRL (n = 17) | GDM (n = 27) | GDM-PE (n = 22) | PE (n = 17) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nulliparus (%) | 29 | 30 | 45 | 53 | > 0.05 |
| Maternal age at delivery (years) | 31.8 ± 1.1 (24–40) | 34.3 ± 0.8 (27–44) | 34.9 ± 0.9 (23–43) | 32.6 ± 1.1 (26–40) | > 0.05 |
| Caucasian ethnicity (%) | 100 | 100 | 95 | 100 | > 0.05 |
| Cigarette smoking (%) | 5.9 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 0 | > 0.05 |
| Alcohol (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | > 0.05 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI | 22.7 ± 0.8 | 27.4 ± 1.3 | 30.6 ± 2.6# | 26.8 ± 1.1 | GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.001 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (%) | 24 | 52# | 64# | 65# |
GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.01 GDM vs CTRL: p = 0.049 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.01 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (%) | 0 | 26# | 55*# | 29# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.049 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 GDM vs CTRL: p = 0.02 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.01 |
| Delivery BMI (kg/m2) | 27.2 ± 0.8 | 30.5 ± 1.2 | 33.8 ± 1.6# | 30.4 ± 1.1 | GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.005 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 122.5 ± 2.3 | 129.7 ± 2.2 | 167 ± 5.1*# | 163.4 ± 6.1*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 71.4 ± 2.1 | 75.1 ± 1.5 | 100.7 ± 2.5*# | 99.1 ± 3.6*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 |
| Proteinuria (g/24 h) | Absent | 0.03 ± 0.03 | 2.30 ± 0.5*# | 3.05 ± 0.7*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.001 PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 |
| A/REDF (%) | 0 | 0 | 18.2* | 29.4*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.01 PE vs GDM: p = 0.02 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.03 |
| Pathological uterine doppler (%) | 0 | 0 | 18.2* | 41.2*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.03 PE vs GDM: p = 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.003 |
| Therapy (%) | Absent |
Diet: 63 Insulin: 37 |
Diet: 73 Insulin: 27 |
Absent | > 0.05 |
| Caesarian section (%) | 53 | 52 | 95.4*# | 76.5 |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.001 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.002 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 34.9 ± 0.7 | 35.6 ± 0.7 | 33.6 ± 0.8 | 34.2 ± 0.7 | p > 0.05 |
| Platelet (× 103/μl) | 244.7 ± 13.1 | 250.6 ± 14.3 | 252.1 ± 17.1 | 189.1 ± 18.2* | PE vs GDM: p = 0.048 |
| AST (U/l) | 17.3 ± 0.7 | 15.0 ± 0.7 | 22.2 ± 3.3 | 33.6 ± 9.4* | PE vs GDM: p = 0.04 |
| ALT (U/l) | 11.4 ± 1.0 | 11.6 ± 1.0 | 18.4 ± 3.7 | 27.6 ± 9.2 | p > 0.05 |
| Fibrinogen (mg/dl) | 456.7 ± 19.5 | 519.7 ± 24.7 | 522.1 ± 22.7 | 486.9 ± 20.6 | p > 0.05 |
| Gestational age at delivery (weeks) | 39.4 ± 0.2 (36–41) | 38.2 ± 0.3 (33–41) | 34.6 ± 0.7*# (28–40) | 33.9 ± 1*# (26–39) |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.004 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.001 PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 |
| Placental weight (g) | 556.5 ± 20.7 | 514.1 ± 22.3 | 417.3 ± 31# | 380.3 ± 38.3*# |
GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.007 PE vs GDM: p = 0.009 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.001 |
| Birth weight (g) | 3346.2 ± 92.8 | 3112 ± 100 | 2108.6 ± 198.4*# | 1866.3 ± 237.3*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 PE vs GDM: p < 0.001 PE vs CTRL: p < 0.001 |
| Apgar < 7 at 5 min (%) | 0 | 3.7 | 18.2 | 29.4 | p > 0.05 |
| NICU admission (%) | 0 | 7.4 | 31.8*# | 41.2*# |
GDM-PE vs GDM: p = 0.03 GDM-PE vs CTRL: p = 0.01 PE vs GDM: p = 0.01 PE vs CTRL: p = 0.003 |
| Fetal sex (%) | |||||
| Male | 29.4 | 59.3 | 40.0 | 35.0 | > 0.05 |
| Female | 70.6 | 40.7 | 60.0 | 65.0 | > 0.05 |
Comparisons of CTRL, GDM, GDM-PE and PE and PE pregnancies clinical features. Values are expressed as mean ± Standard Error (SE) and percentage. Comparisons among groups were done by ANOVA, which, if significant, was followed by pairwise analysis using the Bonferroni method. Categorical variables are presented as frequencies (percentages) and the comparison between different groups was done with Chi-Square Test.
Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05): #differences indicating a significant effect compared with CTRL; *differences indicating a significant effect compared with GDM; §differences indicating a significant effect compared with PE and ^differences indicating a significant effect compared with GDM-PE.
BMI body mass index, A/REDF absent/reverse end diastolic flow, AST aspartate aminotransferase, ALT alanine aminotransferase, NICU Neonatal Intensive Care Uni.