Irisin as an early marker for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective study

The objective of this study is to evaluate maternal serum irisin levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in women diagnosed with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

We performed a prospective, nested case-control study in 258 pregnant women who were enrolled at the time of the first prenatal visit (6-11th weeks of gestation) and followed until delivery. Among the entire population, we selected 20 women who subsequently developed GDM and 30 women with uneventful pregnancies. Blood samples were collected once from each participant at 6-11th weeks of gestation during the fetal viability scan and at 24-28th weeks of gestation during screening for GDM.

In the first trimester, irisin levels were significantly lower in women who later developed GDM (median = 453 ng/mL, range: 257-811 ng/mL) than in controls (median = 721 ng/mL, range: 700-786 ng/mL). In the second trimester, the difference in irisin levels between the GDM group (median = 749 ng/mL; range: 456-910 ng/mL) and controls (median = 757 ng/mL; range: 703-898 ng/mL) was not statistically significant.

Irisin may be a useful biomarker in early pregnancy to predict the development of GDM.