Independent association between leptin and blood pressure during third trimester in normal and gestational diabetic pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between plasma leptin concentration during third trimester of pregnancy and blood pressure, independent of body mass index at examination and other potential confounders.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was performed including 95 women (61 non-diabetic women, 34 women with gestational diabetes (GD)) in their third trimester of pregnancy. The relationship between plasma leptin and blood pressure was investigated using multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

Independent of body mass index (BMI), leptin was positively correlated to systolic (P = 0.024) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.002). Stepwise linear regression identified leptin as the only variable independently associated with systolic blood pressure (P = 0.003), while leptin (P < 0.001) and age (P = 0.024) were the only variables independently correlated to diastolic blood pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports for the first time that, independent of BMI at examination, presence of GD or other confounders, plasma leptin is positively correlated with blood pressure in pregnant women.