Fibrinogen-Albumin Ratio: A Potential New Marker for Gestational Diabetes Severity?
Abstract
Objectives: Approximately 15% of all pregnancies result in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a common metabolic disease that is
associated with significant changes in inflammatory markers and insulin sensitivity. Higher fibrinogen and lower albumin levels are observed during
pregnancy. In addition, since GDM is also an inflammatory process, the fibrinogen-albumin ratio (FAR) may increase more than that in normal
pregnancies, suggesting a potential role as an indicator of disease severity. The article aims to investigate the relationship between the severity of
gestational diabetes (GDM) and the FAR.
Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at the Giresun Maternity and Children Training and Research Hospital.
This study included 87 pregnant women, 41 women with GDM, and 46 women in the control group. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical
parameters were collected, and FAR was computed. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of FAR and compare the
groups.
Results: Compared to the control group, the GDM group had significantly higher fibrinogen levels (440±73.8 mg/dL vs. 403±57.9 mg/dL, p=0.012),
lower albumin levels (36.61 vs. 38.80 g/L, p<0.001), and a higher FAR (12.28 vs. 10.07, p<0.001). A weak positive correlation was found between
estimated fetal weight and FAR (p=0.04, r=0.22). ROC analysis demonstrated that FAR had an area under the curve of 0.810, a sensitivity of 78%,
and a specificity of 71.7%, indicating acceptable diagnostic accuracy for GDM.
Conclusion: In this study, pregnant women with GDM showed a significant increase in FAR, and this elevation correlated with fetal growth. The
results of the study support the potential of FAR as a new biomarker in the management of GDM. However, further research is needed for these
findings to translate into clinical applications.
Keywords
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), inflammatory markers, insulin resistance
Ethical Statement
This study was conducted in
accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
The Giresun Training and Research Hospital Local Ethics
Committee granted clearance (decision no.: 03.04.2024/07,
date: 05.04.2024).
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