Is the serum delta neutrophil index level different in gestational diabetic women?

Objective: To investigate the serum delta neutrophil index (DNI) levels between normal pregnant women and gestational diabetic women.Methods: Normal pregnant women and gestational diabetic women delivered in the University of Health Sciences Etlik Zübeyde Hanım Women's Health Care, Training and Research Hospital between 1 December 2015 and 30 June 2018 were included in the study. The study group included patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes by a 100-g or 75-g OGTT (n = 273). The control group included women with singleton pregnancies who had normal antenatal follow-up and who had delivered healthy neonates after 37 gestational weeks (n = 455). In both the study and control groups, for the analysis of DNI and other laboratory values, the ones reported at the time of the application for delivery or within previous 4 weeks of delivery were used. The study and control groups were compared with each other with respect to the DNI value (primary outcome measure of the study), maternal and newborn characteristics, pregnancy outcomes and laboratory values other than DNI (secondary outcome measures). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows, version 22.0. The Student t-test, the Mann-Whitney U-test, and the χ² test were used where appropriate. A p value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: There were significant differences between the study and control groups regarding median maternal age, gravidity, parity, BMI and gestational age at delivery (p < .05). Mean birthweight was significantly higher in the study group compared to control group (p=.002). NICU admission was significantly more frequent in the study group than in the control group (8.8% vs 2.4%; p < .001). The platelet, WBC, neutrophil and monocyte counts and NLRs were significantly lower, while Hb and DNI values were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. The median DNI values were -2.30 (range: -27.0 to 8.10) and -3.0(range: -27.30 to 11.60) in the study and control groups, respectively (p = .007).Conclusion: The DNI, a new inflammatory marker, was found to be higher in gestational diabetic women, than in those with normal pregnancies.