title: Genetic causes of maturity onset diabetes of the young may be less prevalent in American pregnant women recently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus than in previously studied European populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are many causes of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnant women. It is unclear whether genetic etiologies are a source of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnant women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively determine the prevalence of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) due to glucokinase (GCK) mutations in an American population of women with recent onset diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes. We hypothesized that based on America's higher prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and Type 2 diabetes, there may be an increased prevalence of GK mutations in our population than in previously reported studies from European studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a three-year period, 72 pregnant women with recently diagnosed diabetes mellitus were prospectively assessed for presence of the most common pathogenic GCK mutations.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed in a gestational diabetes clinic in Urban America and a high-risk pregnancy clinic that served the military and their families on an American military base in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two women; 65 with diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in this pregnancy (GDM/overt diabetes) and 7 with diagnosis in the last nine years prior to pregnancy were recruited during pregnancy and blood samples were obtained.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each study participant's blood sample was analyzed with restriction fragment length polymorphism to assess for mutations in the GCK gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 38 female and 34 male neonates born at 38 weeks gestation ± 1.2 weeks. Mean birth weight was 3351 g ± 450 g. There were no patients with GCK mutations found in our population 0/72. This prevalence is not greater than that seen in previous a similar study in European women with gestational diabetes, but in fact significantly less (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  American women with recently diagnosed diabetes mellitus likely have no higher prevalence of MODY than in previously studied European women with diabetes mellitus and may have a lower prevalence.
authors.affiliation: a MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland , OH , USA and.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Sewell
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Presley
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Catalano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D005941:Glucokinase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005941:Glucokinase
keywords: Gestational diabetes; glucokinase mutation; maturity onset diabetes of the young