Comparison of obese and non-obese patients with gestational diabetes

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of obesity on the outcome of gestational diabetes (GD). The age of the subject (31 +/- 5 years) and duration of pregnancy (29 +/- 5 weeks) were similar at the time of diagnosis for the 19 obese (34 +/- 6 kg/m2) and 19 non-obese (23.0 +/- 2.1 kg/m2) subjects. Before treatment, the area under the curve of the glucose tolerance test and the mean capillary blood glucose levels were similar in both groups; however, the baseline blood glucose levels of the obese patients (6.0 +/- 0.8 mmol/l) were higher than those of the non-obese patients (5.3 +/- 0.8 mmol/l; P < 0.01). During pregnancy, the total weight gain of the obese patients was less (10.6 +/- 5.0 vs. 15.2 +/- 4.7 kg, P < 0.006). Fifteen of the obese patients required treatment with insulin, while only six of the non-obese women required insulin (P < 0.005). During insulin therapy, the mean capillary blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and fructosamine levels were similar in both groups. In conclusion, our data suggest that GD in obese patients is characterized by lower weight gain and higher baseline glucose with the result that insulin therapy is more frequently instituted.