Link Between Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension

Hypertension was greater in women with increased body mass index. A group of researchers led by Dr Vambergue from the CHRU in Lille, France, studied the relationship between gestational glucose intolerance and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Women were screened between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation with a 50g, 1h oral glucose-loading test. If the test was positive (glucose value >7.2mmol/L), a 100g, 3h oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was identified in 218 women, gestational mild hyperglycemia (GMH) in 130, and normal glucose values in 108 women.

The researchers showed that frequency of PIH in women with GDM was 17%, in those with GMH 10.8% and in controls 4.6% (p<0.01). All of the 6 cases of preeclampsia occurred in women with GDM. The rate of hypertension was significantly greater in women with a history of preeclampsia, increasing body mass index (BMI), and glucose intolerance. In multivariate analysis, a history of preeclampsia, BMI>27, and GDM, but not maternal age or GMH, were independent risk factors for PIH. The researchers suggest that PIH may be linked to the level of glucose intolerance during pregnancy, independent of other risk factors of hypertension.

European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2002;102:31-5