Palmitic acid and P/s index in insulin dependent diabetes

Since the results in the literature do not show any agreement on the evolution of fetal pulmonary maturity in insulin dependent diabetes, we have determined the levels of palmitic acid and L/S index in the amniotic fluid of insulin-dependent pregnant women. According to our results there are no differences between these patients and normal controls. Also the predictibility of RDS from palmitic acid levels was the same as that for normal women with an incidence of 5% false positives. The conclusion is that palmitic acid levels are a good parameter to monitor pulmonary maturity even in insulin-dependent diabetic pregnant mothers.