[Congenital malformations in the offspring of diabetic mothers]

The offspring of diabetic mothers have a 10 times higher frequency of congenital malformations and 5 times higher frequency of spontaneous abortions. Since the discovery of insulin, the prognosis of pregnancies has improved, both for the mother and the offspring. However, the prevalence of congenital malformations at birth has not decreased significantly. The embryological process that leads to anomalies in the offspring of diabetic mothers probably occurs between 6 and 8 weeks of gestation. According to animal experiments, hyperglycemia, ketones and free radicals may be involved in the genesis of malformations, but different strains of rats respond differently to these potential teratogenic agents. Possibly, a higher genetic susceptibility towards congenital malformations also plays a role in diabetic women. Therefore, although the intimate mechanism producing malformations in the offspring of diabetic women is not known, several strategies to decrease the prevalence of malformations in these women, such as the use of antioxidants, are being tested.