Increased risk of poor outcomes for babies born to mothers with GDM

A new research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of the Diabetes [EASD]) shows an increased risk of adverse outcomes in babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes, when compared to non-diabetic mothers, according to The Lancet.

The proportion of women who are overweight or obese is increasing in almost all countries worldwide, and this is being accompanied by an increased risk of developing both type 2 diabetes (T2D) (whether pregnant or not) and gestational diabetes (GDM), a particular form of diabetes experienced only during pregnancy.

The researchers concluded: "We have clearly demonstrated that GDM is a disease related to adverse pregnancy outcomes and that most of the risks are higher in women with insulin-treated GDM. By restricting analysis to deliveries after 37 weeks and excluding cases of type 2 diabetes that were undiagnosed before pregnancy, we identified a moderate increase in risk of death to the newborn baby in women with GDM treated with diet only."