Gestational diabetes: what’s up?

Excerpt

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), until recently defined as any degree of hyperglycaemia first detected in pregnancy [1], is a growing public health concern [2]. The prevalence of GDM shows an increasing trend in most racial/ethnic groups and parallels the global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes [3]. GDM and type 2 diabetes have many risk factors in common and they share the same genetic susceptibility [4, 5]. Both are characterised by insulin resistance and an inability of the beta cells to compensate with a sufficient increase in insulin secretion [4]. Although glucose tolerance usually reverts to normal after delivery, affected women remain at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes during their lifetime, with an estimated lifetime risk of about 50–70% [6]. In addition to hypertensive pregnancy disorders [4], GDM is associated with dyslipidaemia and other components of the metabolic syndrome [7], and if present, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [8]. …