INTRODUCTIONGestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) affects up to 15% of pregnant women worldwide and an estimated 4 million women in India.1 Early detection and initiation of treatment reduces adverse maternal and foetal outcomes. Most of the pregnancies that develop GDM is associated with dyslipidemia, the assessment of which in the 2nd trimester could serve as a potential diagnostic tool. Pregnant women destined to develop GDM had higher total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, CRP, and t-PA but ABSTRACTBackground: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is an emerging problem which affects pregnant women all over the world particularly in India. Early detection reduces adverse maternal and foetal outcome. Elevated central adiposity is a modifiable risk factor for abnormal glucose homeostasis in pregnancy and GDM. The Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) is a gender-specific index of fat distribution and assessment. Methods: It is a hospital based, case control study among the subjects who attended a tertiary care centre. cases were 30 pregnant women newly diagnosed with GDM in their 2nd trimester, and Controls were 30 apparently healthy pregnant women in their 2nd trimester without risk factors for GDM such as obesity and family history for diabetes. Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) was calculated using the formula (Waist circumference (WC)/ {36.58 +(1.89xBMI)}) x(TGL/0.81) x (1.52/HDL) where WC is expressed in cm, BMI in Kg/m2, TG in mmol/L, HDL in mmol/L. Results: The mean age of patients with GDM was higher when compared to controls (28.17 ± 3.34vs 24.40±3.07) and this difference was statistically significant (p value < 0.0001). The average weights were significantly different. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) was 23.59 ± 4.19 and 88.46 ± 7.10 respectively among controls and 29.85 ±4.52 and 102.12 ± 6.96 respectively among GDM patients and these differences were highly significant (p value<0.0001). The lipid profile of these patients showed a significantly higher value of Triglycerides among patients. Conclusions:This study correlates GDM with Visceral adiposity index and found that the index to be elevated in the GDM group. The increased VAI in GDM patients shows their elevated adipose tissue distribution. VAI is less invasive and cost effective, can be used as a diagnostic index in GDM.

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is an emerging problem which affects a large number of pregnant women in India. Women with GDM have been shown to have abnormal lipid profiles with higher serum triacylglycerol concentrations but lower LDL levels. Early detection reduces adverse maternal and foetal outcome. The Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP) is an index of fat distribution and assessment which can be easily measured in an outpatient setup. Methods: This study was a hospital based case control study. Cases were 30 pregnant women, newly diagnosed with GDM in their 2nd trimester while controls were 30 apparently healthy pregnant women without risk factors for GDM. Lipid accumulation product (LAP) was computed by multiplying a sex-specific estimate of waist circumference and the fasting triglyceride concentration, LAP = (WC [cm]-58) x TGL [mmol/L]. Result: The mean age of patients with GDM was higher when compared to controls. (28.17 ± 3.34 vs 24.40 ± 3.07, p < 0.0001) The lipid profile showed a significantly higher value of serum triglycerides among cases while the differences in HDL were not statistically significant. Lipid accumulation product (LAP) in GDM patients was found to be significantly elevated when compared to controls. (133.43 ± 64.02 vs 62.89 ± 30.68, p < 0.0001) Conclusion: Calculation of LAP can be done to identify the degree of risk for developing GDM. So LAP can possibly serve as in future as a screening tool for the diagnosis of GDM in an outpatient setting in resource poor settings.