Women who experience gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type-1 and type-2 diabetes later in life, a 23-year Finnish study has found.
The findings, which were presented at the online European Congress of Endocrinology (e-ECE 2021) yesterday (24 May, 2021), have led the researchers to suggest that autoantibody testing should be considered for women who experience GDM.
Dr Kaisu Luiro, of Helsinki University Hospital, assessed 391 women who gave birth between 1984-1994 and experienced gestational diabetes during their pregnancy.
A follow-up questionnaire assessing later onset of type-1 and type-2 diabetes was sent in 2012-2013 and it was found glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet cell autoantibodies present during pregnancy can reliably predict the development of type-1 diabetes later in life.
The study showed that single autoantibody positivity was detected in 12% of women who experienced gestational diabetes and in 2.3% of the control cohort. Of those who had gestational diabetes, 2.6% tested positive for two autoantibodies and 2.3% for three autoantibodies. This compared to only one woman in the control cohort who had two autoantibodies detected.
Dr Luiro said: “The strong relationship between women who have gestational diabetes and women who experience type-1 and type-2 diabetes later in life, suggests that women should now receive more extensive testing during pregnancy, in order to determine their level of risk.
“We also hope that healthcare professionals initiate conversations with their patients about the relationship between GDM and diabetes later in life.”
Autoantibodies in prediction of diabetes after gestational diabetes – a 23-year prospective cohort study, was presented on 24 May 2021 at the e-ECE 2021.
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