Preventive Care in Nursing and Midwifery Journal

Background: Some patients with GDM (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus) still experience impaired glucose tolerance after childbirth and will be affected by diabetes mellitus type 2.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between hs-CRP serum levels with insulin resistance six weeks after childbirth in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus type 2.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 110 patients with GDM were evaluated in terms of the insulin resistance index (HOMA), hs-CRP serum, and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) six weeks after childbirth. Their anthropometric indices were measured in the early pregnancy. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis were used to analyze data in SPSS 16.

Results: The mean of hs-CRP was 8.72 µg/ml among the patients in this study. It is higher than the normal range. Moreover, 24.5% of the patients were suffering from impaired glucose tolerance, and hs-CRP levels were higher than the normal range in 92.6% of these patients. Furthermore, 41.8% of patients showed insulin resistance, and hs-CRP levels were high among 73.9% of them. After age adjustment, the increase in hs-CRP serum level was significantly correlated with insulin resistance (HOMA) and the one-hour and two-hour OGTTs (p=0.007 and p<0.001, respectively).

Conclusion: It appears that age adjustment can help us figure out the relationship between the increase in hs-CRP serum and insulin resistance in pregnant mothers with diabetes six weeks after childbirth.