A Comparison of Infant Birth Outcomes Based on Maternal Category of Glucose Screening

Abstract

Identify adverse infant outcomes related to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Infants of mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may experience adverse outcomes. However, research on outcomes of infants whose mothers have impaired glucose tolerance but do not meet diagnostic standards of GDM are sparse. The objective of this study was to compare infant weight-for-length amongst mothers categorized based on their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) screening. This was a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of mother-infant dyads. Glucose tolerance was assessed using a two-step OGTT between 24-28 weeks gestation per Carpenter-Coustan criteria. Mothers passing the 1-hour OGTT were categorized as being normal glucose tolerant (NGT). Glucose impaired was identified as failing the 1-hour but passing the 3-hour OGTT. Mothers failing both the 1-hour and 3-hour OGTT were diagnosed with GDM. Differences in infant weight-for-length between maternal categories were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Differences in additional infant outcomes between maternal groups were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis and Chi Squared tests. Linear regression and correlation coefficients described the relationship between maternal Body Mass Index and infant weight-for-length. No statistical significance was found in infant weight-for-length between NGT (n = 271), glucose impaired (n = 43), and GDM (n = 17) groups. Insignificant trends in incidence of additional infant outcomes were identified between maternal groups. Study results show no difference between maternal groups and infant weight-for-length. Further studies should be completed with a larger sample size to identify an association between infant weight-for-length outcomes in NGT, glucose impaired, and GDM mothers.