Glycohemoglobin determinations in pregnant diabetic patients

Glycohemoglobins (GH), minor variants of hemoglobin A, are elevated in patients with diabetes mellitus. We examined the clinical usefulness of GH levels in human pregnancy. There was no correlation between GH levels and gestational age or neonatal birth weight. Insulin-dependent diabetics had higher GH levels than did normal controls (greater than or equal to 33 weeks' gestation). There was a significant correlation between fasting plasma glucose concentration and GH levels in insulin-dependent diabetics, especially when the former was determined six to 12 weeks before GH determination. Because of the wide scatter of data and the a posteriori relationship, however, we were unable to use this information at the clinical level.