Women With Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Increase Their Risk of Morbidity for Their Infants
Increased risks are associated with pregnancies
among women with untreated impaired glucose tolerance.
These risks include high rates of cesarean section
and delivery of preterm and macrosomic infants.
Dr. Ingrid Ostlund, of Orebro University Hospital,
Sweden, and colleagues prospectively evaluated
the association between increased maternal or
neonatal morbidity and untreated impaired glucose
tolerance during pregnancy. They collected data
on maternal and fetal outcomes for 213 women with
this condition. Four control subjects per case
subject were used for comparison.
Case subjects had a significantly higher rate
of cesarean section than did control subjects,
and an independent association was observed between
cesarean section and impaired glucose tolerance
(adjusted odds ratio 1.9).
Similarly, the proportion of large for gestational
age infants was significantly associated with
untreated impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy
(odds ratio 7.3), according to the researchers.
Children in the impaired glucose tolerance group
also had a significantly higher risk of admission
to a neonatal intensive care unit for at least
2 days (adjusted odds ratio 2.0).
The authors note that "Most of the children
were healthy, but there is still increased morbidity."
Diabetes Care 2003; 26:2107-2111.
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FACT:
America's blood pressure is rising, reversing
a 30-year decline and keeping pace with the nation's
advancing age and expanding waistline, says a
study out today. The analysis found about 29%
of the adult population — nearly 60 million
people — had high blood pressure in 2000,
up from 25% in 1988.
