Gestational diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance pregnant women

OBJECTIVE To evaluate correlations between insulin secretion and resistance in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational impaired glucose tolerance (GIGT). METHODS Three hundred thirty six pregnant women with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were tested and measured insulin function indices (IFI), insulin resistance indices (HOMA-IR) as well as blood serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TCH) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations. GIGT patients were further divided into subgroups according to hyperglycemia appearance 1, 2 or 3 hours after glucose ingestion. RESULTS GDM and GIGT correlated with age (p<0.05), family history of diabetes (p<0.05) and pre-pregnancy body mass indices (BMIs) (p<0.05). Blood pressures were higher in GDM than in GIGT and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) patients (p<0.05). The IFIs were gradually reduced (p<0.05), whereas HOMA-IR was gradually enhanced (p<0.05) in the GIGT and GDM patients. Blood serum TG, TCH and LDL-C concentrations were higher in the GIGT and GDM groups (p<0.05) and the GIGT 1 hour hyperglycemia subgroup had highest pregnancy weight gain and HOMA-IR values (p<0.05). Conclusions : Advanced age, family history of diabetes, high BMIs and blood pressure were risk factors for GIGT and GDM, which were both caused by reduced insulin secretion and enhanced insulin resistance.