Association of iron nutritional homeostasis and hepcidin gene polymorphisms with gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between iron homeostasis and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), focusing on hepcidin levels and its gene polymorphisms.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional comparative study, a total of 166 pregnant women (69 with GDM and 97 with normal glucose tolerance) were enrolled. Clinical parameters and six hepcidin gene polymorphisms were analyzed. Statistical analyses included Spearman correlation, logistic regression, and parallel genotype-phenotype assessments in both groups with correction for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS

Hepcidin, fasting, and postprandial glucose levels were significantly higher in the GDM group (p < 0.05). Genotype frequencies did not differ between groups. Within the GDM group, specific polymorphisms (rs10416533, rs7251432, rs55863037) showed nominal associations with ferritin, hemoglobin, and glucose levels; however, these did not survive strict correction for multiple testing. No such associations were observed in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Elevated hepcidin is confirmed in GDM. While certain hepcidin gene variants showed disease-specific, this study had limited statistical power to detect small to moderate genetic effects due to its modest sample size. The study underscores a potential link between iron homeostasis and GDM, highlighting hepcidin as a candidate for further mechanistic investigation. these preliminary and exploratory findings require validation in larger cohorts. These findings underscore the involvement of hepcidin in GDM-associated iron dysregulation and highlight it as a key candidate for future mechanistic and longitudinal studies.