Assessment of the physical development and metabolic status of children born to women with gestational diabetes

Backgraund: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common metabolic disorders found during pregnancy. Currently, it is relevant not only to search optimal target levels of glycemia during pregnancy, but also to study the ­effect of different glycemia levels on fetal development and further changes in glucose and lipid metabolism in children.

Aims: To describe perinatal period, physical development and metabolic status of children born to women with GDM and different glucose levels during pregnancy.

Materials and methods: The perinatal period features and anthropometric parameters at birth were evaluated in 300 children born to women with GDM and different levels of glycemia during pregnancy. Over the course two years, 141 children have been evaluated for physical development parameters and glucose and lipid metabolism. Fasting and postprandial glycemia was measured with glucometer for 14 days in 33 children aged 1 to 4 years.

Results: The anthropometric parameters of children at birth did not differ from the parameters of the control group (p> 0.05) when during pregnancy fasting blood glucose was less than 5.1 mmol / l and 7.0 mmol / l 1 hour after a meal. The glycemia in women above this level was associated with an increase of frequency and risk of a body mass index, body mass / length ratio and head circumference “above average” in children at birth (p <0.05). With the dynamic control of anthropometric parameters up to 2 years, no differences between the comparison groups were obtained (p> 0.05). The change in metabolic parameters was represented by neonatal hypoglycemia in children of GDM group (GDM group — 23%, control group — 3.5%, p = 0.000002), the least risk of which occurred in group with the lowest fasting and postprandial glycemic values during pregnancy. Fasting glucose, and insulin levels, НOMA index, triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as monitoring fasting and postprandial glycemia for 14 days, were obtained no significant differences between the comparison groups of children (p> 0.05).

Conclusions: The lowest risks of neonatal hypoglycemia and anthropometric deviations at birth were associated with the lowest glycemia levels during pregnancy, which correspond to the criteria of the Russian clinical guidelines.

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