title: Women born preterm or with inappropriate weight for gestational age are at risk of subsequent gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low birthweight, which can be caused by inappropriate intrauterine growth or prematurity, is associated with development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) as well as pre-eclampsia later in life, but the relative effects of prematurity and inappropriate intrauterine growth remain uncertain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through nation-wide registries we identified all Danish mothers in the years 1989-2007. Two separate cohorts consisting mothers born 1974-1977 (n = 84219) and 1978-1981 (n = 32376) were studied, due to different methods of registering birthweight and gestational age in the two periods. Data was linked with information on GDM, pre-eclampsia and education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a multivariate logistic regression model the odds of developing GDM was increased by 5-7% for each week the mother was born before term (p = 0.018 for 1974-1977, p = 0.048 for 1978-1981), while the odds were increased by 13-17% for each standard deviation (SD) reduction in birthweight for gestational age for those who were small or normal for gestational age (p<0.0001 and p = 0.035) and increased by 118-122% for each SD increase above the normal range (p<0.0001 and p = 0.024). The odds of pre-eclampsia was increased by 3-5% for each week the mother was born before term (p = 0.064 and p = 0.04), while the odds were increased 11-12% for each SD reduction in birthweight for gestational age (p<0.0001 and p = 0.0002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cohort of young Danish mothers, being born premature or with increasingly low birthweight for gestational age was associated with an increased risk of GDM and pre-eclampsia in adulthood, while increasingly high birthweight for gestational age was associated with an increased risk of GDM and a decreased risk of pre-eclampsia. Inappropriate weight for gestational age was a more important risk factor than prematurity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. rasmus@rogvi.dk
authors.forename: Rasmus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: á Rogvi
authors.forename: Julie Lyng
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Damm
authors.forename: Gorm
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Greisen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult