Abstract
Abstract Objectives The present study aimed to survey the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Southern China and further to analyze the correlation between the prevalence of GDM and maternal age. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the Southern Medical University Affiliated Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China between January and April 2020. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) was performed, using a 75 g glucose load and venous samples were drawn at 0 h, 1 h and 2 h at 24–28 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed by International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria. Results The prevalence of GDM was 14.87% by IADPSG criteria. The incidence of GDM outcome increased and plasma glucose levels remained high among the age subgroups (<20, 20–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39, ≥40 years old) in pregnant women. Moreover, the levels of plasma glucose levels after OGTT kept rising among the pregnant women with non-gestational diabetes mellitus (non-GDM). Furthermore, pregnant women were inclined to have abnormal plasma glucose values at 1 h and 2 h than initial fasting plasma glucose (FPG) after OGTT as the age increased. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the incidence of GDM outcome and plasma glucose levels increase as the maternal age increase.
Highlights
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with first onset or recognition during pregnancy [1]
A total of 3,530 pregnant women were included in this study and we identified that 525 (14.87%) women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) through a 75 g Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) performed at 24–28 weeks
Our results showed that as the maternal age increased, the incidence of GDM outcome increased, with the highest incidence occurring in gravidas ≥40 years old (Figure 1)
Summary
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with first onset or recognition during pregnancy [1]. The Hyperglycemia and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes (HAPO) study revealed that all degrees of hyperglycemia are linked linearly to obstetric complications, including macrosomia, preeclampsia, cesarean section, birth trauma and diabetes mellitus later during the lifespan [2, 3]. According to the latest report of American Diabetes Association (ADA), up to 15–20% of all pregnant women suffer from GDM [4]. In China, an additional 90 million women, roughly equivalent to the population of Germany, will eligible to have a second child owing to the universal two-child policy adopted. Approximately 60% of them were 35 years old or older, which may lead to increased risk of complications in pregnancy and pose more challenges to protect maternal and child health
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