Association of urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites with gestational diabetes mellitus and gestational hypertension among pregnant women in Southwest China: A cross-sectional study

The association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational hypertension during pregnancy has not yet been established. To investigate the association between PAH exposure and GDM and gestational hypertension, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 4206 pregnant women from the Zunyi birth cohort in southwestern China. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to detect the urinary levels of 10 monohydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs). GDM and gestational hypertension were diagnosed and the relevant information was documented by specialist obstetricians and gynecologists. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression were employed to investigate their single and nonlinear associations. Stratified analyses of pregnancy and body mass index data were conducted to determine their moderating effects on the abovementioned associations. Compared with the first quartile of urinary ∑OH-PAHs, the third or fourth quartile in all study participants was associated with an increased risk of GDM (quartile 3: odds ratio [OR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–1.77) and gestational hypertension (quartile 3: OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.26–2.81; quartile 4: OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04–2.39), respectively. Nonlinear associations of 1-OH-PYR with GDM (cutoff level: 0.02 μg/g creatinine [Cr]) and 1-OH-PHE with gestational hypertension (cutoff level: 0.06 μg/g Cr) were also observed. In pregnant women with overweight or obesity, 1-OH-PHE and 3-OH-PHE were more strongly associated with gestational hypertension. Our results indicate that exposure to PAH during pregnancy may significantly increase the maternal risks of GDM and gestational hypertension; however, this finding still needs to be confirmed through larger-scale prospective studies and biological evidence.