Development of postpartum Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes after delivery in a patient with gestational diabetes.
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are associated with changes of the immune system. These changes might eventually result in autoimmune diseases, such as Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus, in the postpartum period. We describe a case of a patient with gestational diabetes who developed both Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus in the postpartum period. The pathology of gestational diabetes (GDM) is close to that of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the present case emphasizes the importance of screening and monitoring high-risk GDM patients for all available autoimmune antibodies throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, as GDM has a risk of developing into type 1 diabetes and multiple autoimmune diseases. In addition, only Graves' disease was transient, whereas type 1 diabetes mellitus remained permanent in the present case. Thus, the present case shows etiological differences between these two autoimmune diseases. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2010.00089.x,2011).
Diabetes and Metabolic Disease Research Centre, Hidaka Hospital, Takasaki, Japan.
Mayumi
M
Negishi
Henry Wellcome Centre for Gene Function, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Kenju
K
Shimomura
Henry Wellcome Centre for Gene Function, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK ; Institute of Molecular Physiology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Peter
P
Proks
Tone Central Hospital, Numata.
Rieko
R
Nakahara
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi.
Masami
M
Murakami
Diabetes and Metabolic Disease Research Centre, Hidaka Hospital, Takasaki, Japan.
Yohnosuke
Y
Shimomura
Gunma Paz College, Takasaki, Japan.
Isao
I
Kobayashi
Gestational diabetes mellitus; Postpartum thyroiditis; Type 1 diabetes mellitus