Glucose tolerance in rural women with pre-eclampsia.

Abstract

To determine the relationship between pre-eclampsia and glucose intolerance among rural women from the Transkei region of South Africa. Women with confirmed pre-eclampsia underwent a 75 g, 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test. A control group of normotensive pregnant women were subjected to a similar glucose tolerance test. Pre-eclampsia was defined as blood pressure (BP) of at least 140/90 mmHg occurring for the first time after mid-pregnancy, in association with proteinuria. The control group comprised women with singleton pregnancy and normal BP, with age, parity and gestational age comparable to those of the pre-eclampsia group. There were 117 subjects in the pre-eclampsia group and 94 in the normotensive pregnancy group. Mean fasting plasma glucose levels in the pre-eclampsia group (3.88 +/- 0.05 mmol/l) were similar to levels in the normotensive group (3.97 +/- 0.05 mmol/l, p = 0.214). Peak post-load plasma glucose levels in the pre-eclampsia group (5.96 +/- 0.12 mmol/l) were similar to levels in the normotensive group (5.71 +/- 0.13 mmol/l, p = 0.180), and post-load incremental glucose area under the curve in the preeclampsia group (4.16 +/- 0.21) was similar to that in the normotensive group (3.95 +/- .21, p = 0.495). Rural women with pre-eclampsia from the Transkei region of South Africa have normal glucose tolerance.