Maternal plasma glycaemia and fetal outcome in north-eastern Nigeria

This paper aims to assess the influence of maternal glycaemia and other clinical indices on the birthweight of babies born to Nigerian women resident in Maiduguri. Eighty-four pregnant women (aged, 25.7 0.5 years, mean SE) in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited for the studies. Blood pressure, weight and height were measured while other social variables were obtained by questionnaire. Fasting and 2-hour blood samples, after 75 g oral glucose load, were collected for plasma glucose measurements. None of the women was a known diabetic while 3.6% were known hypertensives. The mean SE fasting (4.2 0.11 mmol/l) and 2-hour (5.8 0.19 mmol/l) plasma glucose concentrations and the systolic (111 1.20 mmHg) and diastolic (72 0.96 mmHg) blood pressures were normal by WHO criteria. Incidence of macrosomic babies was nil. The birthweight of the babies was not significantly related to either the fasting plasma glucose (r=-0.11, P 0.05) or 2-hour postprandial glucose concentrations (r=-0.09, P 0.05), but was significantly related to the maternal pre-pregnancy bodyweight (r=0.30, P 0.05) and body mass index (BMI) (r=0.31, P 0.05). It is concluded that Nigerian women resident in Maiduguri maintain a normal glucose tolerance during the third trimester of pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy body weight and BMI, and not plasma glycaemia, would seem more important factors associated with the birthweight of babies born in this Nigerian population.