Related Experiment Videos

Elevated zinc protoporphyrin/heme ratios in umbilical cord blood after diabetic pregnancy

K B Lesser1, S B Schoel, P J Kling

  • 1Department of Obstetrics, The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ, USA.

Journal of Perinatology : Official Journal of the California Perinatal Association
|October 7, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Infants born to mothers with diabetes may have impaired iron status, indicated by higher erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin/heme (ZnPP/H) ratios. These ratios correlate with maternal glycemic control during pregnancy.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal Medicine
  • Maternal-Fetal Health
  • Iron Metabolism

Background:

  • Offspring of diabetic mothers are at risk for tissue iron deficiency.
  • Erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin/heme (ZnPP/H) ratios serve as a biomarker for impaired iron status.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between cord ZnPP/H ratios and glycemic control in pregnancies complicated by diabetes.
  • To assess iron status in neonates born to diabetic mothers.

Main Methods:

  • Cord blood samples were collected from 31 pregnancies with insulin-treated diabetes.
  • Erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin/heme (ZnPP/H) ratios were measured and compared to population norms.
  • Maternal glycemic control was evaluated using daily glucose logs and glycosylated hemoglobin levels; birth weight was also recorded.

Main Results:

  • Median cord ZnPP/H ratios were significantly higher in the diabetes group compared to population values (106 vs. 68.2 μM/M, P < 0.0001).
  • Cord ZnPP/H ratios showed a direct correlation with glycosylated hemoglobin (P = 0.05) and birth weight (P < 0.04).
  • No significant difference in cord ZnPP/H ratios was observed between pre-existing and gestational diabetes.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated cord ZnPP/H ratios in infants of diabetic mothers suggest increased iron utilization for fetal erythropoiesis.
  • These findings may help identify neonates with altered iron status due to maternal diabetes.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Pathophysiology of Diabetes01:20

Pathophysiology of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. The four categories of diabetes are type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, other specific types of diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational01:22

Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational

Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...