Increased soluble (pro)renin receptor (s(P)RR) concentrations during the first trimester may predict the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) later in pregnancy, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. With further validation, particularly in more diverse populations, s(P)RR holds the potential for filling a clinical gap in the screening of GDM early in pregnancy. With current screening methods, low-risk women with the potential to develop GDM are typically not identified until late second trimester, when low-risk women undergo a 50 gram, one-hour loading test, the glucose challenge test (GCT) at 24 weeks to 28 weeks of gestation. By contrast, in this study, women in the highest s(P)RR concentration quartile (over 34.2 ng/mL) during the first trimester were 2.90-fold more likely to develop GDM than women in the lowest quartile (less than 25.8 ng/ML). s(P)RR is a marker of activation of the tissue renin-angiotensin system, which is tied to adverse complications in patients with diabetes and hypertension. The researchers conducted a prospective study of 716 pregnant Japanese women who first visited a referral birth center at a tertiary hospital at less than 14 weeks of gestation between 2010 and 2011. A […]