[Neonatal morbidity associated to gestational diabetes. A descriptive study on 74 patients]

women with gestational diabetes have an increase risk for maternal and neonatal metabolic complications.

to evaluate detection, treatment and close surveillance.

we recruited all women with gestational diabetes whose pregnancies ended in this hospital between September to November of 2005. All newborns were examined by a neonatologist and initiated early feeding with infant formula or glucose solution.

a total of 74 patients with gestational diabetes were included. The age was 31.03 +/- 4.79 years, and the body mass index before pregnancy was 32.31 +/- 6.41. Eighteen patients developed third-trimester complications, in fourteen of them it was hypertensive disease of pregnancy. All were single pregnancies that ended in 71 term and 3 preterm newborns. There were not fetal or perinatal deaths. There were four small newborns for gestational age, 18 large for gestational age and 52 normal weight newborns. Eleven neonates had metabolic complications, eight of them had idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome, four had hypoglycaemia and one large for gestational age had obstetric trauma. Also two neonates with cardiovascular malformations were diagnosed. Thirty-six mothers returned for revaluation, eight had type 2 diabetes, six glucose intolerance.

this group of patients shows the maternal and neonatal morbidity associated to gestational diabetes in patients under close surveillance. Systematic early screening in women at risk and close surveillance are required to obtain healthy newborns.