title: Gestational diabetes: clinical characteristics and birth weight.
abstract: This retrospective study investigates the clinical characteristics of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (time of diagnosis, different treatment, metabolic parameters, etc.) in relation to prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the influence of BMI on neonatal outcome. 93 GDM women and 110 control subjects were divided into three groups in relation to their prepregnancy BMI: normalweight (Nw), overweight (Ow) and obese (Ob). GDM was diagnosed significantly (p < 0.01) earlier in Ow and Ob than in Nw. Preterm deliveries and cesarean sections resulted significantly (p < 0.01) increased in all BMI categories of GDM respect to matched controls. Prevalence of neonatal macrosomia was higher in GDM patients (44.6%) compared with normal controls (15.4%) and correlated (p < 0.01) with prepregnancy BMI in both groups. Nevertheless in each BMI category the prevalence of macrosomia was significantly higher in GDM patients. The body weight increase during pregnancy was not associated with neonatal macrosomia. This study shows that prepregnancy BMI is an important risk factor for GDM and is predictive for macrosomia specially in women suffering from GDM.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Malattie del Metabolismo, Università degli Studi, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Volpe
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Cianni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bottone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murru
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Casadidio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marselli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benzi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Navalesi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies