Serum homocysteine level and gestational diabetes mellitus: a meta‐analysis

Aims/Introduction: Homocysteine levels during pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been studied; however, it remains unclear whether hyperhomocysteinemia is a useful predictor of insulin resistance. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between homocysteine level and GDM. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science and CNKI were searched for relevant studies published up to January 2015. Manual searches of references of the relevant original studies were carried out. Meta-analysis was used to assessed the relationship between homocysteine level and GDM using the STATA 12.0 software. Results: Homocysteine levels were significantly elevated in women with GDM compared with those without GDM (weighted mean difference 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.44-1.10). This evidence was more consistent during the second trimester measurement of homocysteine (weighted mean difference 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.67-1.23) and for women aged older than 30 years (weighted mean difference 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.63-1.17). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis shows that homocysteine level is significantly elevated among women with GDM compared with women with normal glucose tolerance, and this finding persists more during the second trimester.