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Maternal glucose tolerance and obstetric complications in pregnancies in which the offspring developed type I
N A Beischer1, P Wein, M T Sheedy
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Insights
Maternal blood glucose levels during pregnancy do not appear to increase a child's risk of developing type I diabetes. This study found no link between gestational diabetes and childhood type I diabetes development.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics
Background:
- Type I diabetes is a significant childhood condition.
- Identifying in utero risk factors is crucial for prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential in utero risk factors for type I diabetes in children.
- To assess the risk of type I diabetes in offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of children with type I diabetes.
- Analysis of maternal glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) during pregnancy.
- Comparison of obstetric complications and maternal GTT results with the general hospital population.
Main Results:
- Only one mother of 38 children with type I diabetes had gestational diabetes.
- No significant difference in maternal blood glucose levels or birth weights was observed.
- Obstetric histories of mothers did not reveal outstanding risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Maternal blood glucose levels during pregnancy are not a significant determinant of type I diabetes risk in children.
- Gestational diabetes does not appear to be a major risk factor for the development of type I diabetes in offspring.
Objective:
To identify possible in utero risk factors in children who develop type I diabetes and to determine the risk of development of type I diabetes in the children of women with gestational diabetes.
Research Design And Methods:
All known children with type I diabetes born at the Mercy Hospital for Women whose mothers had glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) performed during pregnancy were identified. The results of the mothers' GTTs were compared with those of the hospital population, as were their obstetric complications.
Results:
We identified 38 children with type I diabetes born at this hospital whose mothers had GTTs performed during pregnancy. Only one of these mothers had gestational diabetes, compared with 5.6% in the overall hospital population (adjusted odds ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.12-3.84, P = 0.99). There were no differences in the blood glucose levels between the mothers of the children who developed diabetes and the general hospital population. The birth weights of the children destined to develop diabetes also showed no deviation from the expected distribution, and there were no outstanding features of the mothers' obstetric histories.
Conclusions:
Maternal blood glucose level is not an important determinant of the child's risk of developing type I diabetes.