OR08-03 Association of Hemoglobin A1c with Early Postpartum Metabolic Syndrome in Women with Gestational Diabetes

Background: Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), an important risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease. Elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is associated with MetS outside of pregnancy and may enhance detection of MetS. It is not known whether HbA1c is associated with MetS in the early postpartum period in women with recent GDM. Objective: We aimed to characterize the prevalence of MetS 4-12 weeks postpartum in women with recent GDM and to determine whether there was an association between HbA1c and MetS. Methods: Women with GDM as defined by Carpenter-Coustan criteria or clinician diagnosis were enrolled into the Balance After Baby Intervention trial of a web-based intervention to prevent T2DM. They underwent a baseline study visit at 4-12 weeks postpartum. Waist circumference and blood pressure were obtained and a fasting lipid panel, HbA1c and a 75-g, 2 hr OGTT was performed. We defined MetS by NCEP ATP III criteria. We fit a logistic regression model adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and number of weeks postpartum. Results: 181 women with GDM were enrolled in the study. Three women were excluded because they did not have fasting lipid measurements. Women were a mean of 8.0 ± 1.8 weeks postpartum at their baseline study visit. 24.2% (n=43) of women had MetS (at least 3 of 5 NCEP ATP III criteria). Of these, 77% met the waist circumference criterion, 37.6% met the HDL criterion, 23.6% met the triglycerides criterion, 16.9% met the fasting glucose criterion and 14.6% met the blood pressure criterion. HbA1c as a continuous variable was not significantly associated with MS (OR for each 0.5% increase: 1.60, 95% CI 0.88-2.91). Elevated HbA1c (prediabetes range ≥5.7 to <6.5%) was also not associated with MetS (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.46-2.12). A 2 hr blood glucose value of ≥140 mg/dL on OGTT testing was significantly associated with MetS (OR 5.28, 95% CI 2.11-13.22). Conclusion: Nearly 1 in 4 women with recent GDM had MetS in the early postpartum period. There was no significant association between HbA1c and presence of MetS. However, an elevated 2 hr value on OGTT was significantly associated with MetS, suggesting that women with elevated 2 hr values may require additional monitoring for MetS and may have elevated cardiometabolic risk beyond the risk of development of T2DM.