The prevalence of GAD antibodies in Korean women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their clinical characteristics during and after pregnancy.
BACKGROUND
We conducted this research in order to evaluate the prevalence of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADA) in Korean women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), to identify the clinical characteristics of these women, and to gauge the prevalence of diabetes among them after childbirth.


METHODS
We studied 887 Korean women with GDM who were screened for GADA, and assessed their antepartum clinical characteristics and the outcomes of their pregnancies. At 6 weeks' postpartum, 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests were performed to determine the diabetic status of GDM women with GADA.


RESULTS
The prevalence of GADA in Korean women with GDM was 1.7%. Plasma glucose levels at 0- and 3-h during oral glucose tolerance tests were significantly different between GADA-positive and GADA-negative women with GDM. There were no significant differences between them in terms of age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, fasting insulin, and lipid profiles. However, GADA-positive women with GDM required insulin treatment during pregnancy more frequently than GADA-negative patients. The development of diabetes at early postpartum was significantly higher in GADA-positive women with GDM than those who were GADA negative.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of GADA in Korean women with GDM was low. However, GADA-positive women with GDM are more susceptible to subsequently developing type 1 diabetes, even in the early postpartum period. Long-term follow up studies and intervention to prevent type 1 diabetes among GADA-positive GDM women are needed.
Yu
Sung Hoon
SH
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center, Kwandong University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Park
Sunmin
S
Kim
Hun-Sung
HS
Park
So-Young
SY
Yim
Chang Hoon
CH
Han
Ki Ok
KO
Yoon
Hyun Koo
HK
Jang
Hak Chul
HC
Chung
Ho Yeon
HY
Kim
Sung-Hoon
SH
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values
D001323:Autoantibodies; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase