Comparative Evaluation of Maternal Age, Hemoglobin, and Random Blood Glucose Levels in Women with and Without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Najaf Province, Iraq

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the commonest diseases during pregnancy with significant adverse effect on mother and fetus. Assessment of biochemical parameters like hemoglobin (HG) and random blood glucose (RBG) is essential to understand better the nature of the disease.Objectives: to compare maternal age, hemoglobin and random blood glucose among women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus.Materials and Methods: A case-control study design was performed among 100 pregnant women attending Al-Zahraa Teaching Hospital, Najaf, Iraq, during the period from January to June 2026. This study compared 70 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and 30 pregnant women without gestational diabetes mellitus. The participants’ maternal age, hemoglobin and random blood glucose levels were extracted from the hospital’s medical records. The statistical analysis was achieved by applying the descriptive and inferential statistical tests. The p-value was considered statistically significant at p<0.05.Results: The mean age of mothers diagnosed with GDM was significantly lower than that of mothers with healthy pregnancy, (28.49 ± 6.89 vs. 31.90 ± 7.70, respectively; P=0.041). Hemoglobin concentration was lower in the GDM group than in the control group (9.90±1.50 vs. 10.35±2.21, respectively). however, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.291). At the same time, random blood glucose levels were considerably higher in women diagnosed with GDM than in the control group (263.34 ± 50.93 vs. 107.77±13.56, respectively; P<0.001). The diagnostic accuracy of RBG was found to be highly efficient by ROC analysis, with AUC being 1.000, 100% and 100% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the association between hemoglobin and RBG was weak negative and non- significant (r= -0.139, P=0.168) while showed that the association between maternal age vs. hemoglobin was positive (r= 0.367, P ˂0.001).Conclusion: the study indicates that proper management of hyperglycemia and anemia may improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce the risk of obstetric and neonatal complications.