Background: Until date, diabetes during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) frequently have difficulties related to fetal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia caused by maternal hyperglycemia. Because insulin breakdown is accelerated in the presence of mild hemolysis, cord serum C-peptide levels are utilized as an indicator of fetal beta-cell function rather than insulin levels. Objective: To study the relationship between umbilical cord C-peptide and risk of hypoglycemia in infants of diabetic mothers.
Patients and Methods: This Cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 infants of diabetic mothers. Infants who developed hypoglycemia in first 24-hour age were considered as cases and infants who did not develop hypoglycemia during the first 24 hours were considered as controls in Neonatal Unit of Benha university hospitals in cooperation with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, during the period from January 2022 to July 2022. Result: The infants were divided into two groups: Hypoglycemia group (Cases group): included 31 infants of diabetic mothers who developed hypoglycemia in first 24-hour age. normoglycemic group (Control group): included 19 infants who did not develop hypoglycemia during the first 24 hours.
Conclusion: In this study, we discovered a substantial rise in UC C-peptide levels in hypoglycemic babies as compared to the control group, indicating that C-peptide might be utilized as an early predictor of hypoglycemia in IDMs.