Relationship Between Maternal Serum Cortisol and Maternal Insulin Resistance and Fetal Ultrasound Characteristics in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Figures & data

Table 1 Maternal and Fetal Characteristics in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Parameters	Values
Cortisol, nmol/L	627.04±102.96
Age, years	30.75±4.62
BMI, kg/m^2	25.65±3.69
Abdominal circumference, cm	99.94±9.96
HbA1c, %	5.40±0.41
FPG, mmol/L	4.93±0.62
1-hour OGTT, mmol/L	10.52±1.26
2-hour OGTT, mmol/L	9.17±1.20
Insulin, μIU/mL	79.52 (44.9–113.9)
C-peptide, nmol/L	0.94 (0.60–1.31)
HOMA2-IR (insulin)	1.52 (0.87–2.16)
McAuley index	5.32±1.33
QUICKI index	0.33±0.04
Mathew index	2.46 (1.47–3.85)
Triglyceride, mmol/L	3.05±1.40
Cholesterol, mmol/L	6.00±1.16
HDL-C, mmol/L	1.80±0.37
LDL-C, mmol/L	2.79±1.02
Fetal ultrasound
Biparietal diamter, mm	76.77±12.17
Head circumference, mm	282.28±43.41
Abdominal circumference, mm	266.13±49.91
Femoral length, mm	56.54±14.75
Estimated fetal weight, g	1790 (1140–2286)
Amniotic fluid index	139 (115.5–163)

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test; HOMA2-IR, human insulin resistance; QUICKI, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Table 2 Correlation of Cortisol with Lipid Profiles, Blood Glucose, and Insulin Resistance Indices in GDM

	mAC	mTG	mFPG	mInsulin	mMcAuley Index	mMathew’s Index	mQUICKI	mHOMA2-IR (Insulin)
r	0.18	0.17	0.22	0.18	−0.21	0.22	−0.19	0.18
p	0.03	0.04	0.009	0.03	0.02	0.01	0.03	0.04

Abbreviations: m, maternal; AC, abdominal circumference; TG, triglyceride; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; QUICKI, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index; HOMA2-IR, Homeostatic Model Assessment Index – Insulin resistance.

Table 3 Multivariate Linear Regression Analysis: Correlation Between Maternal Serum Cortisol and Maternal Insulin Resistance

	Mathew	McAuley	QUICKI	HOMA2-IR (Insulin)
Cortisol, nmol/L	0.05^†	−0.01	0.00	0.00
Age, years	0.03	0.04	0.00	0.01
BMI, kg/m^2	0.12	−0.15**	−0.003**	0.05
Parity, times	−0.02	−0.02	0.00	−0.01
Acanthosis nigricans	0.42	0.21	−0.01	0.24
Triglyceride, mmol/L	0.16		−0.00	0.08
Total cholesterol, mmol/L	0.19		−0.00	0.10
CRP, mg/L		−0.01

Notes: ^†p <0.05; **p <0.001, Acanthosis nigricans (1 = Negative, 2 = Positive).

Abbreviation: CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Table 4 Correlation of Maternal Cortisol with Fetal Ultrasound Indices in GDM

	fBPD	fHC	fAC	fFL	fEFW	fAFI
r	0.25	0.23	0.21	0.15	0.15	0.16
p	0.005	0.008	0.02	0.07	0.08	0.18

Abbreviations: F, fetal; BPD, biparietal diameter; HC, head circumference; AC, abdominal circumference, FL, femoral length; EFW, estimated fetal weight; AFI, amniotic fluid index.

Table 5 Multivariate Linear Regression Analysis: Correlation Between Maternal Serum Cortisol and Fetal Ultrasound Indices

	fAC	fBPD	fEFW	fHC
mCortisol	0.09^†	0.03^†	1.06	0.09^†
mMcAuley	−6.45	−2.52^†	−125.74	−4.05
mHOMA2-IR	−4.41	−1.17	−98.09	−1.95
mBMI	4.63**	1.08*	67.97*	4.47**

Notes: ^†p <0.05; *p <0.01; **p <0.001.

Abbreviations: f, fetal; m, maternal; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; BPD, biparietal diameter; HC, head circumference; AC, abdominal circumference; EFW, estimated fetal weight.