The Relationship between Serum Glycated Albumin in Diabetic Pregnant Women and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Their Neonates

Background: Maternal diabetes mellitus elevates the risk for a range of maternal-fetal complications.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the correlation between serum glycated albumin (GA) concentrations in diabetic pregnant females and the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in their neonates, and to evaluate the validity of GA as an early predictor for HCM. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional research was performed on 44 diabetic pregnant women and their neonates at Suez Canal University Hospital. Maternal glycated albumin was measured during the third trimester. Neonatal echocardiography was performed within 14 days postpartum to assess cardiac function, ventricular size, and wall thickness. Results: Of the 44 neonates, 15 (34.1%) had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mothers of neonates with HCM had significantly longer diabetes duration (14.1 ± 6.2 against 9.2 ± 3.4 years, p=0.013) and greater mean GA levels (24.5 ± 2.9 against 15.3 ± 1.99, p < 0.001) compared to mothers of neonates without HCM. A significant direct correlation was found between GA and interventricular septum thickness in systole (r=0.649, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis illustrated that GA at a cut-off value of ≥ 20.1 had sensitivity of 92.9% and specificity of 96.2% for predicting HCM in neonates of diabetic mothers.
Conclusions: Serum glycated albumin level is a clinically effective glycemic control marker with high predictive value for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in infants of diabetic mothers. GA monitoring may serve as a valuable tool for diabetes management during pregnancy to reduce the risk of cardiac complications in neonates.