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Association between insulin resistance and preeclampsia in obese non-diabetic women receiving metformin

Balani J, Hyer S, Syngelaki A, Akolekar R, Nicolaides KH, Johnson A, Shehata H

Obstetric medicine, 2017

400 participants

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the reduced incidence of preeclampsia in non-diabetic obese pregnant women treated with metformin is mediated by changes in insulin resistance.

METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of obese pregnant women in a randomised trial (MOP trial). Fasting plasma glucose and insulin were measured in 384 of the 400 women who participated in the MOP trial. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was compared in the metformin and placebo groups and in those that developed preeclampsia versus those that did not develop preeclampsia.

RESULTS: At 28 weeks, median HOMA-IR was significantly lower in the metformin group. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that there was a significant contribution in the prediction of preeclampsia from maternal history of chronic hypertension and gestational weight gain, but not HOMA-IR either at randomisation (p = 0.514) or at 28 weeks (p = 0.643).

CONCLUSIONS: Reduced incidence of preeclampsia in non-diabetic obese pregnant women treated with metformin is unlikely to be due to changes in insulin resistance.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 400 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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