[Perinatal problems in fetal macrosomy and its relation to maternal Hb A1C]

Although the frequency of macrosomic newborns decreased within the last years due to an intensive centralized care of women with diabetes mellitus, 175 new borns had a birth weight of more than 4,000 grams in 1986 (total number of deliveries 2,339). Within this collective increasing maternal as well as fetal risks and perinatal complications increased rapidly corresponding to the rising birth weight. When clinical parameters were related to maternal levels of HBA1C, which was determined immediately after delivery, a dependency of the height of glycolised hemoglobin was related to several perinatal problems e.g. maternal obesity, gestosis, maternal-fetal disproportion, operative delivery and fetal morbidity. These data stress upon the necessity of a general screening program for the early detection of metabolic dysfunction of carbohydrate.