Maternal and paternal race/ethnicity are both associated with gestational diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to examine the rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) associated with both maternal and paternal race/ethnicity.


METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study of all women delivered within a managed care network. Rates of GDM were calculated for maternal, paternal, and combined race/ethnicity.


RESULTS
Among the 139,848 women with identified race/ethnicity, Asians had the highest rate (P < .001) of GDM (6.8%) as compared with whites (3.4%), African Americans (3.2%), and Hispanics (4.9%). When examining race/ethnicity controlling for potential confounders, we found that the rates of GDM were higher among Asian (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-1.6) and Hispanic (aOR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4) women as well as Asian (aOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.5) and Hispanic (aOR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.4) men as compared with their white counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that rates of GDM are affected by both maternal and paternal race/ethnicity. In both Asians and Hispanics, maternal and paternal race are equally associated with an increase in GDM. These differences may inform further investigation of the pathophysiology of GDM.
Caughey
Aaron B
AB
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Cheng
Yvonne W
YW
Stotland
Naomi E
NE
Washington
A Eugene
AE
Escobar
Gabriel J
GJ
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010375:Pedigree; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies