Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a severe yet neglected threat to maternal and child health, due to its association with multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes. glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level is one of the most promising predictor of GDM in early pregnancy based on several cohort studies done recently.
Purpose of study: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the potency of HbA1c level in first trimester as a novel predictor of GDM.
Methods: This review selects cohort studies found by database searching systematically using previously determined inclusion, such as pregnant woman as the subject, assess Hb1Ac level in the first trimester, and assess odds ratio towards (GDM), and exclusion criteria such as assess outcome at postpartum, not assess GDM outcomes, and studies written in languages other than English or Bahasa Indonesia. This review was arranged based on PRISMA guideline.
Results and Discussion: This review included seven cohort studies with the pooled OR of 4.36 [95%CI: 3.66-5.20]. Quantitative analysis shows that HbA1c level in the first trimester is a significant risk factor of GDM development (p<0.00001). However, heterogeneity analyses revealed substantial heterogeneity are detected in the pooled studies. Therefore, to understand the significance of HbA1c level and the development of GDM, further studies are needed.
Conclusion: This study has proven the potency of first trimester HbA1c level as a novel predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus. Thus, it is necessary to integrate the use of HbA1c level screening as part of antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy.