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American Association of
Clinical Endocrinologists
26th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress
3–7 MAY 2017 • AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA
Postpartum diabetes risk,
prognosis for patients
with diabetic ketoacidosis,
more intense treatment
of dyslipidemia, and heart
failure complication of type 2
diabetes, were among the
many studies presented at this
year’s AACE annual meeting.
The PracticeUpdate Editorial
Team reports.
Womenwith
gestational diabetes
requiring insulin
at higher risk of
postpartumdiabetes
Women with gestational diabetes
who require insulin during pregnancy
are at higher risk of postpartum
diabetes than those who do not
require insulin during pregnancy,
finds a retrospective review.
O
kpara Ukandu Igwe, MBBS, of
Lagos University Teaching Hospital,
Nigeria, set out to assess factors
associated with postpartum glucose testing
among women with gestational diabetes
mellitus and patterns of the results.
Eighty-five women diagnosed with gesta-
tional diabetes using a 75-g oral glucose
tolerance test from 2006 to 2015 at a ter-
tiary healthcare facility were studied.
Information concerning screening and
sociodemographic features within 6 to
12 weeks of delivery were collected. Pat-
terns of test results were assessed and
analyzed. Linear and logistic regression
models were employed to evaluate the
correlation between maternal age, parity,
body mass index, mode of treatment, and
results of postpartum screening.
Of the 85 women with gestational diabetes,
34 (40%) were tested during the 6- to 12-
week postpartum period. Mean patient age
was 36 ± 2 years. The majority of mothers
(58.8%, n = 50) had delivered two to three
children. A total of 65.9% (n = 56) had body
mass index ≥25kg/m
2
.
The majority of women who did not present
for postpartum testing followed a controlled
diet. Use of insulin during pregnancy and
testing between 6 to 12 weeks postpartum
were significantly correlated.
Among the mothers with gestational diabe-
tes were tested, 15.3% (n = 13) suffered from
impaired glucose tolerance while 7.05% (n
= 6) of mothers with gestational diabetes
who were diagnosed with diabetes melli-
tus. Abnormal postpartum results and use
of insulin therapy during pregnancy were
significantly correlated.
Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined
as any degree of glucose intolerance with
onset or first recognition during pregnancy.
Women with gestational diabetes are at
increased risk of recurrence and future
development of type 2 diabetes mellitus,
and need to be screened and followed
postpartum.
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