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Relationship between mean platelet volume and vitamin D deficiency in gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objective

To investigate whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with high mean platelet volume (MPV) in pregnancies diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) compared to healthy pregnancies.

Subjects and methods

This study included 200 pregnant women. 25-hydroxyvitamin D3(25(OH)D3) and MPV values were monitored between pregnant women with GDM and normal glucose metabolism. Correlation between 25(OH)D3 and MPV was calculated both in GDM and healthy pregnancies. Both 25(OH)D3 level in different MPV percentile (≤ 50, 50-75, 75-90, ≥ 90 percentile) and MPV value in different 25(OH)D3 level (≤ 10, 10-20, ≥ 20 ng/mL) were calculated.

Results

Low 25(OH)D3 level and high MPV were observed both in GDM group (p = 0.007, p = 0.06, respectively) and in glucose metabolism disorders (GMD) group (p = 0.03, p = 0.04, respectively). There was no significant relationship between 25(OH)D3 and MPV in healthy pregnancies. Whereas, it is observed that there is a negative, but statistically insignificant correlation between MPV and 25(OH)D3 pregnant women with GMD (r = 0.1, r = -0.7, respectively). MPV values had significantly higher in vitamin D deficient group than pregnant women with normal 25(OH)D3 level in GMD group (p = 0.04). The optimal 25(OH)D3 cut off point for predicting future cardiovascular risk was 10.4 ng/ mL (area under curve (AUC) = 0.58).

Conclusions

Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to an increased risk for future cardiovascular diseases and a risk of thrombotic complications in pregnant women with GDM.

Gestational diabetes mellitus; vitamin D deficiency; mean platelet volume


INTRODUCTION

GDM is defined as glucose intolerance that is first recognized during pregnancy and confers a 4‐ to 7‐fold greater risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus with an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome in midlife (1Bellamy L, Casas JP, Hingorani AD, Williams D. Type 2 diabetes mellitus after gestational diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2009;373(9677):1773-9.

Gunderson EP, Lewis CE, Tsai AL, Chiang V, Carnethon M, Quesenberry Jr CP, et al. A 20-year prospective study of childbearing and incidence of diabetes in young women, controlling for glycemia before conception: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Diabetes. 2007;56(12):2990-6.
-3Gunderson EP, Jacobs DR Jr, Chiang V, Lewis CE, Tsai A, Quesenberry CP Jr, et al. Childbearing is associated with higher incidence of the metabolic syndrome among women of reproductive age controlling for measurements before pregnancy: the CARDIA study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009;201(2):177.e1-9.). A previous history of GDM not only increases a woman’s risk of future metabolic disease, but has been linked to elevated heart disease risk in women as well (4Noussitou P, Monbaron D, Vial Y, Gaillard RC, Ruiz J. Gestational diabetes mellitus and the risk of metabolic syndrome: a population-based study in Lausanne, Switzerland. Diabetes Metab. 2005;31(4 Pt 1):361-9.,5Kim C, Cheng YJ, Beckles GL. Cardiovascular disease risk profiles in women with histories of gestational diabetes but without current diabetes. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112(4):875-83.). Studies have reported a 66% to 85% higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and/or stroke in women who have a history of GDM (6Carpenter MW. Gestational diabetes, pregnancy hypertension, and late vascular disease. Diabetes Care. 2007;30 Suppl 2:S246-50.).

Longitudinal studies have demonstrated increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity associated with vitamin D deficiency. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to inflammation, higher coronary artery calcium scores, impaired endothelial function, and increased vascular stiffness (7Syal SK, Kapoor A, Bhatia E, Sinha A, Kumar S, Tewari S, et al. Vitamin D deficiency, coronary artery disease, and endothelial dysfunction: observations from a coronary angiographic study in Indian patients. J Invasive Cardiol. 2012;24(8):385-9.

Shor R, Tirosh A, Shemesh L, Krakover R, Bar Chaim A, Mor A, et al. 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients undergoing coronary artery catheterization. Eur J Intern Med. 2012;23(5):470-3.
-9Kunadian V, Ford GA, Bawamia B, Qiu W, Manson JE. Vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery disease: a review of the evidence. Am Heart J. 2014;167(3):283-91.). Furthermore, there is an increasing interest in the relationship between vitamin D and GDM. Several studies have reported lower vitamin D levels in women with GDM, but the underlying mechanism between vitamin D and GDM is unclear (1010 Asemi Z, Hashemi T, Karamali M, Samimi M, Esmaillzadeh A. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism, lipid concentrations, inflammation, and oxidative stress in gestational diabetes: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98:1425-32.

11 Parildar H, Dogruk Unal A, Aksan Desteli G, Cigerli O, Guvener Demirag N. Frequency of Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant diabetics at Baskent University Hospital, Istanbul. Pak J Med Sci. 2013;29(1):15-20.

12 Burris HH, Camargo CA Jr. Vitamin D and gestational diabetes mellitus. Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(1):451.
-1313 Cho GJ, Hong SC, Oh MJ, Kim HJ. Vitamin D deficiency in gestational diabetes mellitus and the role of the placenta. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013;209(6):560.e1-8.).

Altered platelet morphology and function have been reported in patients with metabolic syndrome, stroke, and diabetes mellitus. Recent studies have demonstrated that an increase in MPV has been documented in patients with GDM and increased MPV is now emerging as an independent risk factor for future thromboembolism and myocardial infarction (1414 Erikçi AA, Muhçu M, Dündar O, Oztürk A. Could mean platelet volume be a predictive marker for gestational diabetes mellitus? Hematology. 2008;13(1):46-8.,1515 Bozkurt N, Yilmaz E, Biri A, Taner Z, Himmetoğlu O. The mean platelet volume in gestational diabetes. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2006;22(1):51-4.). Furthermore, new evidence has suggested that vitamin D may play an important role in preventing platelet activation as well as decreasing fibrinolysis and thrombosis. Thus vitamin D deficiency may lead to an increased MPV (1616 Koyama T, Hirosawa S. Anticoagulant effects of synthetic retinoids and activated vitamin D3. Semin Thromb Hemost. 1998;24(3):217-26.). In a new study it has been demonstrated that there is a strong association between a low vitamin D level and a high MPV in healthy volunteers (1717 Cumhur Cure M, Cure E, Yuce S, Yazici T, Karakoyun I, Efe H. Mean platelet volume and vitamin d level. Ann Lab Med. 2014;34(2):98-103.).

Although most women maintain a normal platelet count throughout gestation in normal pregnancy, the normal range of platelet counts decreases. Increased blood volume, an increase in platelet activation, and increased platelet clearance all contribute to a “physiologic” decrease in the platelet count. Furthermore, MPV and platelet count show an inverse relationship. Average platelet size is larger when an increase in platelet production occurs. Thus, platelet lifespan declines and the MPV increases minimally during pregnancy (1818 Valera MC, Parant O, Vayssiere C, Arnal JF, Payrastre B. Physiologic and pathologic changes of platelets in pregnancy. Platelets. 2010;21(8):587-95.,1919 Maconi M, Cardaropoli S, Cenci AM. Platelet parameters in healthy and pathological pregnancy. J Clin Lab Anal. 2012;26(1):41-4.).

In this study we aimed at assessing the relationship between the MPV value and vitamin D level of pregnant women with GDM in order to determine whether vitamin D deficiency in GDM may be a risk factor for future development of cardiovascular diseases.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This present study was approved by the local ethical committee at the Sifa University. Written participation consents were obtained, and the procedures followed were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (revised in 2008). Data were collected between May 2012 and November 2012.

During the study period, there were 142 vaginal and 204 caesarean section deliveries in our clinic. Female volunteers at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy were evaluated for the study (source population, n = 297). Subjects with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, anemia, haemoglobinopathy, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, rheumatic disease, gastrointestinal diseases with malabsorption, subjects who smoked, as well as subjects on chronic medical therapy and with other chronic diseases were excluded from the study. Pregnant women who were on calcium and vitamin D supplements were also excluded from the study. Two hundred patients who met the criteria were enrolled in the study.

Body mass index (BMI (weight (kg)/height (m)2) was calculated by measuring the height and the body weight at the sample time.

The participants were questioned about their frequency of exposure to sunlight (between 10:00 to 15:00 h) in terms of number of days of exposure in a week, not less than 30 minutes.

The participants were questioned about their clothing style. Covered clothing style was defined as clothing covering all body parts except for the hands and face.

In our study, all pregnant women in the 24th-28th week of pregnancy were screened for GDM. The criteria used for the diagnosis of GDM were defined in the National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) (1818 Valera MC, Parant O, Vayssiere C, Arnal JF, Payrastre B. Physiologic and pathologic changes of platelets in pregnancy. Platelets. 2010;21(8):587-95.). A one hour-50 gr oral glucose challenge test (GCT) was applied to all pregnant subjects regardless of their fasting conditions. After a fasting of 8 hours and between 8:00-9:00 AM, a 3-hour 100 gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was applied to pregnant subjects whose GCT is ≥ 140 mg/dL. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glucose levels at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rdhour were controlled. Patients exhibiting one of the following high values were diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT): FBG ≥ 105 mg/dL, 1sthour ≥ 190 mg/dL, 2nd hour ≥ 165 mg/dL, 3rdhour ≥ 145 mg/dL. Those with a minimum of 2 high values were diagnosed with the GDM. IGT and GDM groups were addressed as glucose metabolism disorders (GMD) in the gestation period (2020 Classification and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and other categories of glucose intolerance. National Diabetes Data Group. Diabetes. 1979;28(12):1039-57.).

In all cases, platelet count and MPV were performed as part of each full blood count. Samples were taken by antecubital venipuncture into tubes containing tripotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). All samples were analyzed by using an automated analyzer (Sysmex SE 9500; Roche, Indianapolis, IN). The samples were rapidly processed (within less than 1 h) in order to minimize platelet swelling in the test tubes. MPV reference range was determined as 7.8–11.0 fl. Strict quality control procedures were adopted; Tri-Level Controls and external quality assurance programs were used on a regular basis to ensure the accuracy and precision of the instrument.

The best indicator of vitamin D status is the serum 25(OH)D3concentration, because it reflects both dietary intake from vitamin D and cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D. Therefore we examined the serum 25(OH)D3concentration. Serum 25(OH)D3 level was analyzed with ELISA (EUROIMMUN, D-23560 Lübeck, Seekamp 31, Germany) method. There is no absolute consensus as to what a normal range for 25(OH)D3 should be in pregnancy. In recent years, most authors agree that vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy should be defined by a 25(OH)D3 level of ≤ 20 ng/mL and vitamin D insufficiency should be defined by a 25(OH)D3 ≥ 20 to < 32 ng/mL (2121 Hollis BW, Johnson D, Hulsey TC, Ebeling M, Wagner CL. Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy: double-blind, randomized clinical trial of safety and effectiveness. J Bone Miner Res. 2011;26(10):2341-57.). But, when we look at our regional data, we have seen that vitamin D levels of pregnant women were significantly lower than the international values (2222 Gür EB, Turan GA, Tatar S, Gökduman A, Karadeniz M, Celik G, et al. The effect of place of residence and lifestyle on vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy: Comparison of eastern and western parts of Turkey. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc. 2014;15(3):149-55.,2323 Halicioglu O, Aksit S, Koc F, Akman SA, Albudak E, Yaprak I, et al. Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and their neonates in spring time in western Turkey. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2012;26(1):53-60.). Furthermore, only six of 200 pregnant women (3%) had vitamin D level more than 32 ng/mL in our study. Therefore, we accepted the value range for vitamin D deficiency is ≤ 10 ng/mL and for vitamin D insufficiency is > 10 to ≤ 20 ng/mL like national studies (Figure 1).

Figure 1
Represents a flow chart of the study design. (IGT + GDM = Glucose metabolism disorder – GMD – group, n = 33).

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS (15.0) for Windows. The mean ± SD was used for parameters that were normally distributed. The median was used for groups that were not distributed normally. To examine the differences between groups, one-way analysis of variance was used with the Duncan pairwise comparison of means. The Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Mann-Whitney U-test with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used for data that did not fulfill the assumptions required for the analysis of variance. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used for evaluating the relationships between MPV and 25(OH)D3 in normal glucose metabolism and glucose metabolism disorders groups. Because the goodness-of-fit tests for normal distribution of the MPV showed that the MPV was not normally distributed (P, 0.01), the median (interquartile) for MPV was used in the descriptive analyses. ANOVA test was used to investigate whether the MPV value has changed in different levels of 25(OH)D3. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used for determining the discriminating 25(OH)D3cut off value in order to predict the future cardiovascular risk in the GDM group. The MPV value indicating future cardiovascular risk was considered to be 8.7 fl (2424 Ekici B, Erkan AF, Alhan A, Sayın I, Aylı M, Töre HF. Is mean platelet volume associated with the angiographic severity of coronary artery disease? Kardiol Pol. 2013;71(8):832-8.). Ap value of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 200 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study out of a total population of 297.

Basic characteristics of gestational groups with and without gestational glucose metabolism disorder are presented in table 1. The 25(OH)D3 level and platelet count were significantly low in the GDM group (p = 0.007, p = 0.01). Twenty three (13.7%) pregnant women with normal glucose metabolism and 15 (45.4%) pregnant women with GMD had vitamin D deficiency. MPV was higher in the GDM group than the IGT and normal glucose metabolism group, but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.06). However, when considered together with the IGT and GDM group as well as the GMD group, a low 25(OH)D3 level and high MPV value were found in the GMD group (p = 0.03, p = 0.04, respectively).

Table 1
Characteristics, vitamin D level and hematologic parameters of normal glucose metabolism and glucose metabolism disorders groups (mean ± SD)

When considering the percentile groups separated (MPV ≤ 50, 50-75, 75-90, ≥ 90), there was no difference observed for 25(OH)D3 levels in pregnant women with normal glucose metabolism (p = 0.3). When the same analysis was performed in pregnant women with GMD, there was an inverse relationship observed between 25(OH)D3 levels and MPV percentile, however these data did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.07; Table 2).

Table 2
Vitamin D level by MPV quartile

In addition, there was a weak and statistically insignificant correlation between MPV and 25(OH)D3 in pregnant women with normal glucose metabolism (r = 0.1, p = 0.6). Nevertheless, there was a negative correlation with MPV and 25(OH)D3 in pregnant women with complicated GMD, but these values did not reach statistical significance (r = -0.7, p = 0.06; Table 3).

Table 3
Correlations of MPV and vitamin D in normal glucose metabolism and glucose metabolism disorders groups

When examining 25(OH)D3 levels by dividing them among deficiency, insufficiency, and normal, the MPV values observed did not differ significantly in women with normal glucose metabolism (p = 0.9). On the other hand, MPV values were significantly higher in the vitamin D deficient group than pregnant women with normal 25(OH)D3 levels in the GMD group (p = 0.04; Table 4).

Table 4
MPV level in pregnant women with different vitamin D level

The prognostic value of the 25(OH)D3 level was determined by using ROC curves in the GDM group (Figure 2). MPV value indicating future cardiovascular risk was considered to be 8.7 fl (2424 Ekici B, Erkan AF, Alhan A, Sayın I, Aylı M, Töre HF. Is mean platelet volume associated with the angiographic severity of coronary artery disease? Kardiol Pol. 2013;71(8):832-8.). Based on ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut off points for predicting future cardiovascular risk was 10.4 ng/mL (AUC = 0.58).

Figure 2
ROC plot to predict the presence of future cardiovascular risk in GDM group. The optimal vitamin D cut off point for predicting future cardiovascular risk was 10.4 ng/mL (AUC = 0.58) (MPV value indicating future cardiovascular risk was considered as 8.7 fl).

DISCUSSION

In this study, we demonstrated that there is a correlation between low 25(OH)D3 level and high MPV in pregnant women with GDM at the first time.

GDM is a significant but frequently neglected problem for the future health of the mother. Women with a history of GDM have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. It is suggested that GDM is a risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity independent of pre-pregnancy obesity, race, parity, and age in recent studies with a large cohort (2525 Gunderson EP, Chiang V, Pletcher MJ, Jacobs DR, Quesenberry CP, Sidney S, et al. History of gestational diabetes mellitus and future risk of atherosclerosis in mid-life: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3:e000490.,2626 Kessous R, Shoham-Vardi I, Pariente G, Sherf M, Sheiner E. An association between gestational diabetes mellitus and long-term maternal cardiovascular morbidity. Heart. 2013;99(15):1118-21.). Furthermore, it has been shown that during the intervening years after delivery the risk of early subclinical atherosclerosis starts before the onset of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome (2727 Yousefzadeh G, Hojat H, Enhesari A, Shokoohi M, Eftekhari N, Sheikhvatan M. Increased carotid artery intima-media thickness in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Tehran Heart Cent. 2012;7:156-9.). Some studies have reported vascular endothelial dysfunction, increased serum levels of endothelial dysfunction, and inflammatory markers in women having an history of GDM but currently free from metabolic abnormalities (2828 Kim C, Cheng YJ, Beckles GL. Cardiovascular disease risk profiles in women with histories of gestational diabetes but without current diabetes. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112(4):875-83.). However, all pregnant women with complicated GDM do not have the same level of cardiovascular morbidity risk. In this study, it is argued that an increase in the risk of future cardiovascular morbidity in women with GDM might be associated with additional co-factors.

Circulating markers of systemic inflammation, such as C-reactive protein or interleukin-6, markers of endothelial dysfunction, such as E-selectin or vascular adhesion molecule-1, inhibitors of the fibrinolytic system, such as Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and markers of platelet dysfunction, such as MPV, have been studied as a predicting marker of future cardiovascular diseases risk (2929 Ross R. Atherosclerosis – An inflammatory disease. N Engl J Med. 1999;340(2):115-26.

30 Petry CJ. Gestational diabetes: risk factors and recent advances in its genetics and treatment. Br J Nutr. 2010;104(6):775-87.
-3131 Vrachnis N, Augoulea A, Iliodromiti Z, Lambrinoudaki I, Sifakis S, Creatsas G. Previous gestational diabetes mellitus and markers of cardiovascular risk. Int J Endocrinol. 2012;2012:458610.). However, none of the aforementioned markers have a high sensitivity in predicting the risk of future cardiovascular disease in women with GDM. Our study was based on the increased MPV value’s ability to predict the risk of future coronary disease.

It has been claimed that MPV is higher in pregnant women with GDM, and that high MPV could demonstrate an increase in the risk for current and future thrombotic complications (1414 Erikçi AA, Muhçu M, Dündar O, Oztürk A. Could mean platelet volume be a predictive marker for gestational diabetes mellitus? Hematology. 2008;13(1):46-8.,1515 Bozkurt N, Yilmaz E, Biri A, Taner Z, Himmetoğlu O. The mean platelet volume in gestational diabetes. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2006;22(1):51-4.). In our study, we observed higher but statistically insignificant MPV in pregnancies with GDM (p = 0.06). On the other hand, when considered together with the IGT and GDM group as well as the GMD group, there was a significant relationship between two groups (p = 0.04). This condition may be due to the small number of GDM patients when compared to the control group.

Platelet activity has been associated with acute vascular events. The use of anti-platelet agents is a class I recommendation for treatment and secondary prevention in patients with coronary artery disease (3232 Sansanayudh N, Anothaisintawee T, Muntham D, McEvoy M, Attia J, Thakkinstian A. Mean platelet volume and coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2014;175(3):433-40.). Although the precise biological pathways by which elevated MPV might influence the development or progression of cardiovascular disease are not completely understood, larger platelets are metabolically more active than smaller platelets. Recently, a large-scale meta-analysis showed that elevated MPV is associated with AMI mortality following myocardial infarction, as well as restenosis after coronary angioplasty (3232 Sansanayudh N, Anothaisintawee T, Muntham D, McEvoy M, Attia J, Thakkinstian A. Mean platelet volume and coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2014;175(3):433-40.). Based on these data, researchers suggested that MPV is a potentially useful prognostic biomarker in patients with cardiovascular disease. But, there is not an absolute MPV value for predicting future cardiovascular risk. Various thresholds (i.e., ≥ 7.3 to ≥ 9.9 fL) have been used for defining high MPV. In our study, we want to evaluate the role of low 25(OH)D3 in predicting cardiovascular risk using a MPV cut-off, which was found in a national study. Based on this we accepted 8.7 fl. for the MPV cut-off value, which is a predicting value for moderate cardiovascular risk in Ekici and cols.’s study (2424 Ekici B, Erkan AF, Alhan A, Sayın I, Aylı M, Töre HF. Is mean platelet volume associated with the angiographic severity of coronary artery disease? Kardiol Pol. 2013;71(8):832-8.). According to the ROC curve analysis result, the optimal cut off points of 25(OH)D3 for predicting future cardiovascular risk was found to be 10.4 ng/mL (AUC = 0.58).

Similar to recent studies, our study showed a significant increase in prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with GMD when compared to the controls (p < 0.01) (1212 Burris HH, Camargo CA Jr. Vitamin D and gestational diabetes mellitus. Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(1):451.). There are several mechanisms proposed for explaining the association between vitamin D insufficiency and risk of GDM. It is suggested that a low serum vitamin D decrease in β-cell function, insulin sensitivity in pancreatic β-cells, and vitamin D insufficiency may lead to inadequate intracellular cytosolic calcium, which is essential for insulin-mediated intracellular processes and glucose regulation in peripheral cells (3030 Petry CJ. Gestational diabetes: risk factors and recent advances in its genetics and treatment. Br J Nutr. 2010;104(6):775-87.). But, the effect of vitamin D deficiency on increased risk of cardiovascular disease in GDM has not been investigated extensively. Whereas some pathological changes associated with vitamin D deficiency, such as systemic inflammation, calcium storage in coronary artery, impaired endothelial function and platelet activation, may contribute to the increase in cardiovascular injury in GDM (9Kunadian V, Ford GA, Bawamia B, Qiu W, Manson JE. Vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery disease: a review of the evidence. Am Heart J. 2014;167(3):283-91.). We found that MPV values were significantly higher in the vitamin D deficient group than pregnant women with normal vitamin D levels in the GMD group (p = 0.04). However, the same relationship was not observed in pregnant women with normal glucose metabolism (p = 0.9).

There are two studies in literature investigating the relationship between MPV and vitamin D. In the first study, it is demonstrated that there is a strong association between a low 25(OH)D3 level and a high MPV in 438 healthy volunteers. In the second study, it is demonstrated that patients with primary ovarian insufficiency (43 patients) had high MPV and low 25(OH)D3 levels (1717 Cumhur Cure M, Cure E, Yuce S, Yazici T, Karakoyun I, Efe H. Mean platelet volume and vitamin d level. Ann Lab Med. 2014;34(2):98-103.,3333 Kebapcilar AG, Kulaksizoglu M, Ipekci SH, Korkmaz H, Kebapcilar L, Akyurek F, et al. Relationship between mean platelet volume and low-grade systemic coagulation with vitamin D deficiency in primary ovarian insufficiency. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2013;288(1):207-12.). Based on this data, researchers claimed that the low level of 25(OH)D3could increase the risk of thrombosis and atherosclerosis in primary ovarian insufficiency. Although we used multiple different statistical methods, we did not find a relationship between 25(OH)D3 and MPV in pregnant women with normal glucose metabolism in our study.

This study has several limitations. First, the number of enrolled patients was inadequate for reflecting the general population. The aim of the initial study was to select normal and GDM women at the beginning, so the statistical evaluation could be more appropriate. However, during the period of the study, the number of pregnant women admitted to our clinic was not high enough for such a cross-sectional study. Second, the platelet indices have been shown to be sensitive to the differences in blood sample anticoagulation, storage temperature, and delays in processing. In particular, the time-dependent swelling of platelets in samples anticoagulated with EDTA can result in an artificial increase of MPV and misinterpretation of prothrombotic changes. It was demonstrated that, after the first hour of sampling, MPV values of EDTA samples were at least 9% higher than those of citrated samples (3434 Gasparyan AY, Ayvazyan L, Mikhailidis DP, Kitas GD. Mean platelet volume: a link between thrombosis and inflammation? Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(1):47-58.). Although MPV measurement was performed within the first hour in our study, citrate was used as an anticoagulant so doubts about the EDTA might be unfounded. On the other hand if MPV evaluation is a simple, inexpensive, and widely available predicting test for cardiovascular risk, to use EDTA in research as a routine practice may be a reasonable approach. Thus, in a meta-analysis of 26 studies, EDTA was used in most of the studies, and it has been proposed that the EDTA-citrate difference should be ignored (3535 Chu SG, Becker RC, Berger PB, Bhatt DL, Eikelboom JW, Konkle B, et al. Mean platelet volume as a predictor of cardiovascular risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Thromb Haemost. 2010;8(1):148-56.). Third, the level of 25(OH)D3 is affected by seasonal changes. Blood sampling for our study coincided with the summer and autumn period where the level of 25(OH)D3 is expected to be higher. Although we have shown that there was no significant difference in the duration of sun exposure between the groups, a one-year study period would be more appropriate to assess seasonal differences. As a result, further studies with a better design, multi-centered, and with a long study period are needed to validate our findings. Additionally, MPV is not the only indicator for future cardio vascular risk, and classic risk factors should not be ignored. The cut-off value of MPV that we used for ROC analysis is also not supported by other studies.

In summary, vitamin D deficiency may be a contributing factor to future risk of cardiovascular disease in pregnant women with GDM. Ensuring adequate levels of 25(OH)D3 in pregnant women with GDM may reduce the severity of injury created by hyperglycemia. It is recommended that this important issue for the long-term health of pregnant women with GDM be investigated in future studies.

REFERENCES

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    Bellamy L, Casas JP, Hingorani AD, Williams D. Type 2 diabetes mellitus after gestational diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2009;373(9677):1773-9.
  • 2
    Gunderson EP, Lewis CE, Tsai AL, Chiang V, Carnethon M, Quesenberry Jr CP, et al. A 20-year prospective study of childbearing and incidence of diabetes in young women, controlling for glycemia before conception: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Diabetes. 2007;56(12):2990-6.
  • 3
    Gunderson EP, Jacobs DR Jr, Chiang V, Lewis CE, Tsai A, Quesenberry CP Jr, et al. Childbearing is associated with higher incidence of the metabolic syndrome among women of reproductive age controlling for measurements before pregnancy: the CARDIA study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009;201(2):177.e1-9.
  • 4
    Noussitou P, Monbaron D, Vial Y, Gaillard RC, Ruiz J. Gestational diabetes mellitus and the risk of metabolic syndrome: a population-based study in Lausanne, Switzerland. Diabetes Metab. 2005;31(4 Pt 1):361-9.
  • 5
    Kim C, Cheng YJ, Beckles GL. Cardiovascular disease risk profiles in women with histories of gestational diabetes but without current diabetes. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112(4):875-83.
  • 6
    Carpenter MW. Gestational diabetes, pregnancy hypertension, and late vascular disease. Diabetes Care. 2007;30 Suppl 2:S246-50.
  • 7
    Syal SK, Kapoor A, Bhatia E, Sinha A, Kumar S, Tewari S, et al. Vitamin D deficiency, coronary artery disease, and endothelial dysfunction: observations from a coronary angiographic study in Indian patients. J Invasive Cardiol. 2012;24(8):385-9.
  • 8
    Shor R, Tirosh A, Shemesh L, Krakover R, Bar Chaim A, Mor A, et al. 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients undergoing coronary artery catheterization. Eur J Intern Med. 2012;23(5):470-3.
  • 9
    Kunadian V, Ford GA, Bawamia B, Qiu W, Manson JE. Vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery disease: a review of the evidence. Am Heart J. 2014;167(3):283-91.
  • 10
    Asemi Z, Hashemi T, Karamali M, Samimi M, Esmaillzadeh A. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism, lipid concentrations, inflammation, and oxidative stress in gestational diabetes: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98:1425-32.
  • 11
    Parildar H, Dogruk Unal A, Aksan Desteli G, Cigerli O, Guvener Demirag N. Frequency of Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant diabetics at Baskent University Hospital, Istanbul. Pak J Med Sci. 2013;29(1):15-20.
  • 12
    Burris HH, Camargo CA Jr. Vitamin D and gestational diabetes mellitus. Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(1):451.
  • 13
    Cho GJ, Hong SC, Oh MJ, Kim HJ. Vitamin D deficiency in gestational diabetes mellitus and the role of the placenta. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013;209(6):560.e1-8.
  • 14
    Erikçi AA, Muhçu M, Dündar O, Oztürk A. Could mean platelet volume be a predictive marker for gestational diabetes mellitus? Hematology. 2008;13(1):46-8.
  • 15
    Bozkurt N, Yilmaz E, Biri A, Taner Z, Himmetoğlu O. The mean platelet volume in gestational diabetes. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2006;22(1):51-4.
  • 16
    Koyama T, Hirosawa S. Anticoagulant effects of synthetic retinoids and activated vitamin D3. Semin Thromb Hemost. 1998;24(3):217-26.
  • 17
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    21 July 2015
  • Date of issue
    Oct 2015

History

  • Received
    24 Apr 2015
  • Accepted
    27 Apr 2015
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