Positive association between a single abnormal glucose tolerance test value in pregnancy and subsequent abnormal glucose tolerance.
OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance among women with a single abnormal glucose tolerance test value in previous pregnancy and identify factors predictive of the later development of abnormal glucose tolerance in this group.


METHODS
In all, 58 women with gestational diabetes, 66 with a single abnormal value in a glucose tolerance test, and 56 control women underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at a mean of 6.9 years from the index pregnancy.


RESULTS
Abnormal glucose tolerance was present in 34.5% of women with previous gestational diabetes and in 28.7% of women with 1 previous abnormal value, significantly different from the controls (9.7%). Independent risk factors that distinguished the subjects who later developed an abnormal glucose tolerance were prepregnancy BMI, parity > 1, and first-degree relatives affected by diabetes mellitus in the group with gestational diabetes, and prepregnancy BMI, maternal age, (> or = 30 y) and parity > 1 in the group with a single abnormal value. Prepregnancy BMI (> or = 26.9) proved to be the most predictive factor of abnormal glucose tolerance later in life.


CONCLUSIONS
Sicilian women with a single abnormal value at the glucose tolerance test in pregnancy have an increased likelihood of developing an abnormal glucose tolerance later in life, similar to gestational diabetes. Prepregnancy BMI was confirmed as the strongest predictive factor in both groups.
Corrado
Francesco
F
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. francesco.corrado@unime.it
D'Anna
Rosario
R
Cannata
Maria L
ML
Cannizzaro
Desirée
D
Caputo
Francesco
F
Raffone
Emanuela
E
Di Benedetto
Antonino
A
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose