Fetal and neonatal habituation in infants of diabetic mothers.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether maternal diabetes alters the habituation ability of fetuses and newborns.


METHODS
Two nonrandomized clinical trials were performed. First, we studied prenatal fetuses of women with pregestational diabetes, and control subjects matched for gestational age, and then we studied infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) and control subjects matched for gestational age and mode of delivery. Fetus and newborns were stimulated with vibroacoustic stimulus.


RESULTS
In fetuses of diabetic mothers, the ability to habituate was lower, and the habituation rate was higher than in control subjects to all habituation tests. In the neonatal period, ability to habituate was lower (59% vs 100%; P< .001), and the habituation rate was higher (18 [14-21] vs 4 [1.2-6.8]; P< .001) in the IDM than in the control infants. We found a significant negative correlation between maternal glycosylated hemoglobin in each trimester of pregnancy and habituation ability in IDM.


CONCLUSIONS
Fetuses and infants of diabetic mothers have impaired habituation ability, which is related to the degree of maternal metabolic control.
Gonzalez-Gonzalez
N L
NL
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of the Canary Islands, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. ngonzalezg@sego.es
Medina
V
V
Padron
E
E
Domenech
E
E
Diaz Gomez
N M
NM
Armas
H
H
Bartha
J L
JL
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics; D013030:Spain