Effect of intrauterine hyperglycemia on levels of neonatal inflammatory cytokines and the occurrence of allergic diseases in infants

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect of intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure on inflammatory cytokine levels in neonatal umbilical cord blood and the incidence of allergic diseases in infants. Methods 112 pregnant women and their infants were enrolled. According to the glucose levels during pregnancy， all women were divided into the intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure （n = 55） and non-intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure groups （n = 57）. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in the umbilical cord blood were compared between two groups. During 1-year follow-up， the incidence of allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and wheezing in infants was compared between two groups. The impact of intrauterine hyperglycemia on neonatal immunity and infant allergic diseases was evaluated. Results There were no significant differences in the levels of IL-1β， IL-2， IL-6， IL-8， IL-10， IL-12 and TNF-α between two groups （all P > 0.05）. In the intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure group， the IL-4 level in the umbilical cord blood was （30.180±8.648） pg/mL， significantly higher than （22.500±10.100） in the non-intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure group （P < 0.05）. In the intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure group， the incidence of allergic diseases was 34.7%， higher compared with 24.0% in the non-intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure group during 1-year follow-up. However， there was no significant difference between two groups （P > 0.05）. Conclusion Intrauterine hyperglycemia exposure exerts certain effect on the IL-4 level in the neonatal cord blood， which may provide evidence for early intervention of allergic diseases.

Keywords

• newborn|umbilical cord blood|cytokine|intrauterine hyperglycemia|allergy