FETAL LUNG MATURATION - COMPARISON OF BIOCHEMICAL INDEXES IN GESTATIONAL DIABETIC AND NONDIABETIC PREGNANCIES

OBJECTIVE: To compare the biochemical maturation of the components of the lung profile according to gestational age between reliably dated g estational diabetic and nondiabetic pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: Lung ma turation was compared in reliably dated pregnancies in 501 gestational diabetic women and 561 nondiabetic women. Lecithin/sphingomyelin rati o (L/S) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) were evaluated by analysis of va riance according to the presence or absence of diabetes and weeks of g estational age. The effect of gestational diabetes on fetal lung matur ation was determined by analysis of variance. RESULTS: The gestational diabetic group had no clinical or statistical differences in L/S rati os as compared to the nondiabetic patients at any gestational age. The re were no differences in mean percent PG between the dia betic and no ndiabetic groups at any gestational age. By 37 completed weeks, 86% of the L/S ratios and 78% of the PG values were mature in the diabetic g roup as compared to 80% of the L/S ratios and 78% of the PG values in the control group (P = .33 and .43, respectively). CONCLUSION: In reli ably dated gestational diabetic pregnancies, biochemical maturation of the fetal lung strongly correlates with gestational age and does not appear to be significantly delayed when compared to a nondiabetic cont rol group.