Normal values of insulinemia in pregnancy (fasting and after oral glucose load): A tool for the identification of the linkage hyperinsulinemia-hypertension in pregnancy

The aim of this study was to identify normal fasting and after-loading insu lin levels in a selected population with uneventful pregnancy, in order to facilitate the identification of the hyperinsulinemic state in pregnancy. F ive hundred consecutive high-risk patients for complications in pregnancy w ere given a 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), Fasting and after-loa ding insulin levels were measured. Samples were collected at 8.00 h (10 hr fasting state) and 60, 120, and 180 min after glucose ingestion; 152 subjec ts (30.4%) resulted normal to OGTT, with normal prepregnancy BMI (<27) and with an uneventful outcome of pregnancy and were for this reason used as th e study population, Insulinemic mean values were calculated at time 0, 60, 120 and 180 min, and percentile curves were calculated. In conclusion: The use of percentile curves for fasting or after-loading insulinemia could be a useful means to identify hyperinsulinemic patients at high risk for the d evelopment of gestational hypertension. (C) 1998, Editrice Kurtis.