Blood-Based Molecular Biomarkers as Predictors for Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Infants of Diabetic Mothers

Abstract Background Respiratory distress (RD) is a primary cause of sickness and mortality in newborns. There is a suggested association between maternal diabetes and respiratory distress in their children, which is directly tied to metabolic and genetic cascades of modifications linked to fetal hyperglycemia. Aim To investigate the circulating expression level of surfactant-related mRNA surfactant protein C (SP-C) in neonates born to diabetic mothers and to compare them with healthy newborns. In addition, to evaluate the clinical utility of the above- mentioned circulating biomarker in predicting the development and severity of RD in infants of diabetic mothers. Patients and Methods This study was conducted on 66 neonates; 23 neonates of infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) who developed respiratory distress after birth, another group of IDMs who did not develop RD, and a control group of 20 healthy neonates. All neonates were subjected to history taking, Full clinical examination, Biochemical tests, Imaging, gene expression analysis, and assessment of hypoglycemia and degree of respiratory distress in IDMs. Results No significant difference was detected in the expression of the SP-C between the IDM group and the healthy group (p = 0.09). However, there was a significant difference between the different degrees of RD (P = 0.04). Conclusion SP-C expression level couldn’t be used as a diagnostic biomarker for RD in IDMs. However, it could be used as a prognostic marker to predict the severity of respiratory distress.