Impact of Medicaid expansion on pregnancy outcomes among women with gestational diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to broaden health care access and significantly impacts obstetric practices. Yet, its effect on maternal and neonatal outcomes among women with gestational diabetes across diverse demographics is underexplored. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the impact of the implementation of the ACA on maternal and neonatal health in Maryland with ACA implementation and Georgia without ACA implementation. METHODOLOGY: We used data from the Maryland State Inpatient Database and US Vital Statistics System to assess the ACA's influence on maternal and neonatal outcomes in Maryland, with Georgia serving as a nonexpansion control state. Outcomes compared include cesarean section (CS) rates, low Apgar scores, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, and assisted ventilation 7 h postdelivery. We adjusted for factors including women's age, race, insurance type, preexisting conditions, prior CS, prepregnancy obesity, weight gain during pregnancy, birth weight, labor events, and antenatal practices. RESULTS: The study included 52 479 women: 55.8% from Georgia and 44.2% from Maryland. Post-ACA, CS rates were 45.1% in Maryland versus 48.2% in Georgia (P = 0.000). Maryland demonstrated better outcomes, including lower rates of low Agar scores (odds ratio [OR], 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-0.86]), assisted ventilation (OR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.71-0.82]), and NICU admissions (OR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.71-0.82]), but no significant change in CS rates (OR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.92-1.01]). CONCLUSION: After ACA implementation, Maryland showed improved maternal and neonatal outcomes compared with Georgia, a nonexpansion state.

Community-level social determinants of health and pregestational and gestational diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Individual adverse social determinants of health are associated with increased risk of diabetes in pregnancy, but the relative influence of neighborhood or community-level social determinants of health is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether living in neighborhoods with greater socioeconomic disadvantage, food deserts, or less walkability was associated with having pregestational diabetes and developing gestational diabetes. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a secondary analysis of the prospective Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-To-Be. Home addresses in the first trimester were geocoded at the census tract level. The exposures (modeled separately) were the following 3 neighborhood-level measures of adverse social determinants of health: (1) socioeconomic disadvantage, defined by the Area Deprivation Index and measured in tertiles from the lowest tertile (ie, least disadvantage [T1]) to the highest (ie, most disadvantage [T3]); (2) food desert, defined by the United States Department of Agriculture Food Access Research Atlas (yes/no by low income and low access criteria); and (3) less walkability, defined by the Environmental Protection Agency National Walkability Index (most walkable score [15.26-20.0] vs less walkable score [<15.26]). Multinomial logistic regression was used to model the odds of gestational diabetes or pregestational diabetes relative to no diabetes as the reference, adjusted for age at delivery, chronic hypertension, Medicaid insurance status, and low household income (<130% of the US poverty level). RESULTS: Among the 9155 assessed individuals, the mean Area Deprivation Index score was 39.0 (interquartile range, 19.0-71.0), 37.0% lived in a food desert, and 41.0% lived in a less walkable neighborhood. The frequency of pregestational and gestational diabetes diagnosis was 1.5% and 4.2%, respectively. Individuals living in a community in the highest tertile of socioeconomic disadvantage had increased odds of entering pregnancy with pregestational diabetes compared with those in the lowest tertile (T3 vs T1: 2.6% vs 0.8%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.41-4.48). Individuals living in a food desert (4.8% vs 4.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.77) and in a less walkable neighborhood (4.4% vs 3.8%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.71) had increased odds of gestational diabetes. There was no significant association between living in a food desert or a less walkable neighborhood and pregestational diabetes, or between socioeconomic disadvantage and gestational diabetes. CONCLUSION: Nulliparous individuals living in a neighborhood with higher socioeconomic disadvantage were at increased odds of entering pregnancy with pregestational diabetes, and those living in a food desert or a less walkable neighborhood were at increased odds of developing gestational diabetes, after controlling for known covariates.

Lifestyle Interventions to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis through the Lens of Health Equity.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellites is one of the health problems disproportionally affecting people with low socioeconomic statuses. Gestational diabetes mellites increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to ten-fold for women. Lifestyle interventions prevent type 2 diabetes in women with prior gestational diabetes. However, it is unknown if similar effectiveness can be expected for all population subgroups. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the prevention of type 2 diabetes in women with prior gestational diabetes using population characteristics according to the PROGRESS (place of residence, race/ethnicity/culture/language, occupation, gender/sex, religion, education, socioeconomic status, and social capital) criteria. METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and EBM Reviews databases were searched for interventional studies of diet, physical activity, or behavioural interventions published up to 21 February 2023. Random effects subgroup meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association of population characteristics and intervention effects. RESULTS: All studies were conducted in high-income countries or middle-income countries. Two-thirds of the studies reported on race/ethnicity and education level. Less than one-third reported on place (urban/rural), occupation, and socioeconomic status. None reported on religion or social capital. Studies from high-income countries (MD = -1.46; 95% CI: -2.27, -0.66, I2 = 70.46, p < 0.001) showed a greater reduction in bodyweight compared with the studies conducted in middle-income countries (MD = -0.11; 95% CI: -1.12, 0.89, I2 = 69.31, p < 0.001) (p for subgroup difference = 0.04). CONCLUSION: There are significant equity gaps in the evidence for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in women with prior gestational diabetes due to reports on population characteristics being poor. Interventions may be less effective in reducing bodyweight in women from middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Collecting and analysing data related to equity is needed to understand the effect of lifestyle interventions on type 2 diabetes for different population subgroups.

The yield of early-pregnancy homeostasis of model assessment -insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus in different body mass index and age groups.

BACKGROUND: Early prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) can be beneficial for lifestyle modifications to prevent GDM. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive values of Homeostasis of Model Assessment -Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in early pregnancy to predict GDM development in different body mass index (BMI) and age risk categories. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is part of the Qazvin Maternal and Neonatal Metabolic Study (QMNMS) in Iran (2018-2021). In this prospective longitudinal study, pregnant women with a gestational age ≤ 14 weeks were enrolled in the study using convenience sampling method and were followed up until delivery to investigate risk factors for maternal and neonatal complications. Data collection was done using questionnaires. Serum sampling was done at a gestational age ≤ 14 weeks and sera were frozen until the end of study. GDM was diagnosed at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy using 75gr oral glucose tolerance test. Fasting blood glucose and insulin were measured in sera taken during early pregnancy in 583 participants. The Mann-Whitney U test, independent t-test, and Chi-square test were used for comparing variables between groups. The logistic regression analysis was used to examine the independent association of HOMA-IR with GDM development and receiver operating characteristic analysis was used for finding the best cut-off of HOMA-IR for predicting GDM. RESULTS: GDM was developed in 90 (15.4%) of the participants. The third HOMA-IR tertile was independently associated with 3.2 times higher GDM occurrence (95% CI:1.6-6.2, P = 0.001). Despite the high prevalence of GDM in advanced maternal age (GDM rate = 28.4%), HOMA-IR had no association with GDM occurrence in this high-risk group. In both normal BMI and overweight/obese groups, HOMA-IR was a moderate predictor of GDM development (AUC = 0.638, P = 0.005 and AUC = 0.622, P = 0.008, respectively). However, the best cut-off for predicting GDM was 2.06 (sensitivity 67.5%, specificity 61.1%) in normal BMI and 3.13 (sensitivity 64.6%, specificity61.8%) in overweight/obese BMI. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed the necessity of considering the BMI and age risk groups when using the HOMA-IR index to predict GDM. Using lower cut-offs is more accurate for women with a normal BMI. In the advanced maternal age, there is no yield of HOMA-IR for predicting GDM.

Assessment of energy and nutrient intake of sri lankan mothers with prior gestational diabetes mellitus at 6-week postpartum: A community-based study.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the leading causes for the future diabetes. Diet modification is an imperative part in attenuating this progression. Objectives: This study assessed energy and nutrient intakes of Sri Lankan mothers at 6 weeks after delivery, with the aim of developing specific dietary guidelines for postpartum mothers with GDM. Materials and Methods: A community-based, descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted as a part of a quasi-experimental study. Nutrient and energy intakes were assessed among 100 mothers using 24-h dietary recall and a validated food frequency questionnaire. Energy and nutrient intakes were analyzed using NutriSurvey 2007 (EBISpro, Germany) which was modified for native food recipes and food composition tables for Sri Lanka. Results: The mean ± standard deviation intakes of total calories, carbohydrate, protein, and fat were 2817 ± 984 kcal, 445 ± 186 g, 95 ± 39 g, and 87 ± 58 g, respectively. The total calorie intake was significantly higher when compared to recommended levels based on the body mass index in both normal weight (3033 ± 1122 vs. 2300 kcal/d; P < 0.00) and overweight or obese (2759 ± 944 vs. 1800 kcal/d; P < 0.00) postpartum women. In the obese group, daily carbohydrate, fat, and protein intakes were significantly higher than the recommended values (P < 0.00). Folic acid intake was lower in both normal (23.7 vs. 400; P < 0.001) and obese or overweight (63 vs. 400; P < 0.001) groups. Conclusion: The study indicated that in majority of the mothers with GDM, the daily calorie and carbohydrate intakes were higher than the recommended. The findings suggest the need for developing a scientifically feasible and culturally acceptable dietary modification program. All macronutrients were taken more than the recommended amounts, especially in the overweight/obese group.

Comparison of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) and WHO criteria for diagnosis of gestational diabetes by assessment of fetomaternal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fetomaternal outcomes in women who are normoglycemic by Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) but have gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) by WHO criteria versus those who are normoglycemic by both DIPSI and WHO criteria. METHODS: This was a prospective, cohort study. A total of 635 women participated. They underwent a 2-h non-fasting oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and results were interpreted by DIPSI. Out of 635 women, 52 were lost to follow up and 33 were diagnosed as GDM by DIPSI and excluded from the study. The remaining 550 women, after 72 h from the first test, underwent a 75-g fasting-OGTT and results were interpreted using WHO 2013 criteria. Results of the second test were blinded till delivery. The 550 women were followed for fetomaternal outcomes. Participants with normal DIPSI and normal WHO 2013 OGTT were labeled group 1. Participants with normal DIPSI but abnormal WHO 2013 OGTT were labeled group 2. Fetomaternal outcomes were compared between these groups. RESULTS: Occurrence of GDM by DIPSI was 5.1%, by WHO 2013 criteria it was 10.5%. Composite fetomaternal outcomes occurred more commonly in women with a normal DIPSI but an abnormal WHO 2013 test. Out of 550 women, 492 had normal DIPSI and normal WHO 2013 test. Out of this 492, 116 (23.6%) women had adverse fetomaternal outcomes. Fifty-eight women out of 550 had a normal DIPSI but an abnormal WHO 2013 test. Thirty-seven (63.8%) women out of 58 had adverse fetomaternal outcomes. We found statistically significant association between adverse fetomaternal outcome and GDM by WHO 2013 test (with normal DIPSI test). CONCLUSION: WHO 2013 has superior diagnostic value compared with DIPSI criteria for diagnosis of GDM.

Associations of cesarean sections with comorbidities within the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.

OBJECTIVES: Cesarean delivery (CD) is a common obstetrical procedure aimed at reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in complicated pregnancies and medical emergencies yet carries potential complications. CD rates in the USA have increased over the years - likely associated with increased comorbidities. Thus, to expand the literature, our objective was to identify the likelihood of a woman having a CD when comorbidities - diabetes, high blood pressure (HBP), or depression - are present. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2019 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Binary and multivariable logistic regression were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) to determine associations between pre-existing and gestational comorbidities and CD among pregnant women. RESULTS: Compared to those without a diagnosis, women with pre-existing diabetes (AOR: 1.69; CI: 1.54-1.86), pre-existing HBP (AOR: 1.58; CI: 1.46-1.69), and pre-existing depression (AOR: 1.14; CI 1.08-1.20; Table 2) were more likely to have a CD. Additionally, participants with gestational diabetes (AOR 1.43; CI 1.34-1.52), HBP (AOR 1.86; CI 1.76-1.95) and depression (AOR 1.13; CI 1.07-1.19) were also more likely to have a CD than those without comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of CD were found among individuals with a pre-existing or gestational diagnosis of diabetes, HBP, or depression than those without these diagnoses. With increasing rates of these conditions, it is likely that CD rates will continue their trajectory in the USA. Thus, professional organizations can have more impact by popularizing and making effective evidence-based guidelines for management.

Critical windows of exposure to air pollution and gestational diabetes: assessing effect modification by maternal pre-existing conditions and environmental factors.

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution has been associated with gestational diabetes (GD), but critical windows of exposure and whether maternal pre-existing conditions and other environmental factors modify the associations remains inconclusive. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all singleton live birth that occurred between April 1st 2006 and March 31st 2018 in Ontario, Canada. Ambient air pollution data (i.e., fine particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3)) were assigned to the study population in spatial resolution of approximately 1 km × 1 km. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Green View Index (GVI) were also used to characterize residential exposure to green space as well as the Active Living Environments (ALE) index to represent the active living friendliness. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the associations. RESULTS: Among 1,310,807 pregnant individuals, 68,860 incident cases of GD were identified. We found the strongest associations between PM2.5 and GD in gestational weeks 7 to 18 (HR = 1.07 per IQR (2.7 µg/m3); 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.11)). For O3, we found two sensitive windows of exposure, with increased risk in the preconception period (HR = 1.03 per IQR increase (7.0 ppb) (95% CI: 1.01 - 1.06)) as well as gestational weeks 9 to 28 (HR 1.08 per IQR (95% CI: 1.04 -1.12)). We found that women with asthma were more at risk of GD when exposed to increasing levels of O3 (p- value for effect modification = 0.04). Exposure to air pollutants explained 20.1%, 1.4% and 4.6% of the associations between GVI, NDVI and ALE, respectively. CONCLUSION: An increase of PM2.5 exposure in early pregnancy and of O3 exposure during late first trimester and over the second trimester of pregnancy were associated with gestational diabetes whereas exposure to green space may confer a protective effect.

Long-term cost-effectiveness of implementing a lifestyle intervention during pregnancy to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term cost-effectiveness and return on investment of implementing a structured lifestyle intervention to reduce excessive gestational weight gain and associated incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A decision-analytic Markov model was used to compare the health and cost-effectiveness outcomes for (1) a structured lifestyle intervention during pregnancy to prevent GDM and subsequent type 2 diabetes; and (2) current usual antenatal care. Life table modelling was used to capture type 2 diabetes morbidity, mortality and quality-adjusted life years over a lifetime horizon for all women giving birth in Australia. Costs incorporated both healthcare and societal perspectives. The intervention effect was derived from published meta-analyses. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were used to capture the impact of uncertainty in the model. RESULTS: The model projected a 10% reduction in the number of women subsequently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes through implementation of the lifestyle intervention compared with current usual care. The total net incremental cost of intervention was approximately AU$70 million, and the cost savings from the reduction in costs of antenatal care for GDM, birth complications and type 2 diabetes management were approximately AU$85 million. The intervention was dominant (cost-saving) compared with usual care from a healthcare perspective, and returned AU$1.22 (95% CI 0.53, 2.13) per dollar invested. The results were robust to sensitivity analysis, and remained cost-saving or highly cost-effective in each of the scenarios explored. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This study demonstrates significant cost savings from implementation of a structured lifestyle intervention during pregnancy, due to a reduction in adverse health outcomes for women during both the perinatal period and over their lifetime.

Validation of Insurance Billing Codes for Monitoring Antenatal Screening.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence statistics for pregnancy complications identified through screening such as gestational diabetes usually assume universal screening. However, rates of screening completion in pregnancy are not available in many birth registries or hospital databases. We validated screening-test completion by comparing public insurance laboratory and radiology billing records with medical records at three hospitals in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: We abstracted a random sample of 140 delivery medical records (2014-2019), and successfully linked 127 to valid provincial insurance billings and maternal-newborn registry data. We compared billing records for gestational diabetes screening, any ultrasound before 14 weeks gestational age, and Group B streptococcus screening during each pregnancy to the gold standard of medical records by calculating sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Gestational diabetes screening (screened vs. unscreened) in billing records had a high sensitivity (98% [95% CI = 93, 100]) and specificity (>99% [95% CI = 86, 100]). The use of specific glucose screening approaches (two-step vs. one-step) were also well characterized by billing data. Other tests showed high sensitivity (ultrasound 97% [95% CI = 92, 99]; Group B streptococcus 96% [95% CI = 89, 99]) but lower negative predictive values (ultrasound 64% [95% CI = 33, 99]; Group B streptococcus 70% [95% CI = 40, 89]). Lower negative predictive values were due to the high prevalence of these screening tests in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory and radiology insurance billing codes accurately identified those who completed routine antenatal screening tests with relatively low false-positive rates.

Risk factors combine in a complex manner in assessment for macrosomia.

BACKGROUND: Macrosomia is a serious public health concern. This study aimed to examine the combined effects of various risk factors on macrosomia. METHODS: The China Labor and Delivery Survey was a multicenter cross-sectional study that included 96 hospitals. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the combined effects of the risk factors for macrosomia. The population attributable risk percentage (PAR%) was calculated for the risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 64,735 live births, including 3,739 neonates with macrosomia, were used for the analysis. The weighted prevalence of macrosomia was 5.8%. Pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, diabetes, and gestational hypertension have a synergistic effect on increasing the rate of macrosomia in mothers aged < 36 years. The highest odds ratio (36.15, 95% CI: 34.38-38.02) was observed in female fetuses whose mothers had both gestational hypertension and diabetes. However, in mothers aged ≥ 36 years, the synergistic effect of gestational hypertension and other factors did not exist, and the risk for macrosomia was reduced by 70% in female fetuses of mothers with both gestational hypertension and overweight/obesity. Pre-pregnancy risk factors (pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and advanced maternal age) contributed the most to macrosomia (23.36% of the PAR%), and the single largest risk factor was pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity (17.43% of the PAR%). CONCLUSION: Macrosomia was related to several common, modifiable risk factors. Some factors have combined effects on macrosomia (e.g., pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and diabetes), whereas gestational hypertension varies by maternal age. Strategies based on pre-pregnancy risk factors should be given more attention to reduce the burden of macrosomia.

An Evaluation of Virtual Care for Gestational Diabetes Using the Quadruple Aim Framework: Assessment of Patient and Provider Experience, Cost, and Clinical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim in this study was to evaluate the impact of virtual care for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This multiple methods program evaluation used the Quadruple Aim Framework. The impact on patient experience, cost, and provider satisfaction was assessed using surveys and interviews. Chi-square and Poisson statistics were used to compare clinical outcomes before (April 2019 to February 2020) and after (May 2020 to March 2021) the shift to virtual care. RESULTS: Patient experience surveys were completed by 85 women. Most of them rated their virtual care experience as good or excellent (93%), with a preference for continued virtual visits in the future (84%). Most respondents felt virtual care saved them money (93%) and time (98%). Six health-care providers at the Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic were interviewed and all believed the switch to virtual care was largely positive. Overall, interview transcripts revealed that health-care providers were happy with the transition, although nurses initially perceived an increased workload. There were no significant differences in rates of cesarean section procedures, macrosomia, neonatal intensive care unit admissions or the proportion of appointments at which insulin was initiated between in-person and virtual care patient outcomes. There was a decreased proportion of missed appointments after the switch to virtual care (6.15% vs 1.21%, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There has been high patient and provider satisfaction with virtual GDM care, with no difference in clinical outcomes and fewer missed appointments. Virtual GDM care should remain an option in the future.

[Maternal-fetal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes in an intensive control program]. / Desenlaces materno-fetales en mujeres con diabetes gestacional en un programa de control intensivo.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is first diagnosed during pregnancy and it is the most frequent maternal hyperglycemia. Objective: To know fetal and maternal outcomes in an intensive control program in pregnant women with and without DMG at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (Mexican Institute for Social Security) Regional General Hospital No. 6, in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas. Material and methods: A descriptive and retrospective study, which included 800 outcomes of pregnant women between January 2009 and June 2020. Anthropometric data and pregnancy outcomes were collected. The intensive control program consisted of face-to-face consultations of 1 to 4 weeks, granted according to the degree of metabolic control, with which it was given nutritional counseling, recommendations for physical activity, and in some cases pharmacological treatment. Results: The prevalence of GDM was 36.2%. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, except for respiratory distress syndrome, which was more common in GDM (9.4%, p = 0.06). Patients with GDM had a lower prevalence of macrosomy (6.1%) compared to the control group (6.6%). All women admitted to the program in the first trimester had fewer fetal and maternal complications. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing an intensive control program in women with GDM, by reducing and equalizing maternal and fetal outcomes compared to a group of women without the disease.

Introducción: la diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG) se diagnóstica por primera vez en el embarazo y es la hiperglucemia materna más frecuente. Objetivo: conocer los desenlaces fetales y maternos en un programa de control intensivo en mujeres embarazadas con y sin DMG en el Hospital General Regional No. 6 del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) en Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo que incluyó 800 desenlaces de mujeres gestantes entre enero de 2009 y junio de 2020. Se recopilaron datos antropométricos y desenlaces del embarazo. El programa de control intensivo consistió en consultas presenciales de una a cuatro semanas, otorgadas según el grado de control metabólico, en las que se proporcionó consejería nutricional, recomendaciones de actividad física y en algunos casos tratamiento farmacológico. Resultados: la prevalencia de DMG fue de 36.2%. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas en ambos grupos, a excepción del síndrome de distrés respiratorio, que fue más frecuente en DMG (9.4%, p = 0.06). Las pacientes con DMG tuvieron menor prevalencia de macrosomía (6.1%) a diferencia del grupo control (6.6%). Toda mujer ingresada al programa en el primer trimestre tuvo menores complicaciones fetales y maternas. Conclusiones: este estudio demuestra la eficacia y eficiencia de implementar un programa de control intensivo en mujeres con DMG, al reducir e igualar los desenlaces maternos y fetales en comparación con un grupo de mujeres sin la enfermedad.

Assessment of the Validity of Administrative Data for Gestational Diabetes Ascertainment.

BACKGROUND: Administrative data, including International Classification of Diseases codes and birth certificate records, are often used for retrospective gestational diabetes research investigations to describe associations of gestational diabetes with perinatal complications and long-term outcomes, and to determine gestational diabetes prevalence. Research investigating the validity of using International Classification of Diseases codes and birth certificates for gestational diabetes ascertainment shows varying degrees of reliability. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of both International Classification of Diseases codes and birth certificate diagnosis for gestational diabetes ascertainment in a large hospital-based cohort of pregnant individuals, using laboratory criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus as the reference. STUDY DESIGN: We studied individuals who received prenatal care at an academic hospital and affiliated community health centers between 1998 and 2016. In the setting of universal 2-step screening for gestational diabetes, pregnant individuals were classified as having gestational diabetes if ≥2 oral glucose tolerance test values met or exceeded National Diabetes Data Group thresholds. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for International Classification of Diseases code and birth certificate ascertainment of gestational diabetes, and their exact binomial 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: In a cohort of 51,059 pregnancies with complete glucose screening, 1303 (2.6%) met National Diabetes Data Group laboratory criteria for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes International Classification of Diseases codes had moderate sensitivity of 70.5% (95% confidence interval, 67.9-72.9), high specificity of 99.3% (95% confidence interval, 99.3-99.4), a positive predictive value of 73.3% (95% confidence interval, 70.8-75.8), and a negative predictive value of 99.2% (95% confidence interval, 99.1-99.3). In the 46,512 pregnancies linked to birth certificate data, birth certificate diagnosis had moderate sensitivity (66.3% [95% confidence interval, 63.6-69.0]), high specificity (98.9% [95% confidence interval, 98.8-99.0]), moderate positive predictive value (62.1% [95% confidence interval, 59.8-64.4]), and high negative predictive value (99.1% [95% confidence interval, 99.0-99.2]). CONCLUSION: Ascertainment of gestational diabetes using administrative data, including International Classification of Diseases codes or birth certificates, has moderate sensitivity, moderate positive predictive value, high specificity, and high negative predictive value. Our findings provide context for interpreting the validity of studies that depend on administrative data for ascertainment of gestational diabetes and comparing them with prospective studies that use laboratory-based gestational diabetes criteria.

Assessment of potential risk factors associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: evidence from a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous research on the association between risk factors and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) primarily comprises observational studies with inconclusive results. The objective of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between 108 traits and GDM by employing a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to identify potential risk factors of GDM. Methods: We conducted MR analyses to explore the relationships between traits and GDM. The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for traits were primarily based on data from the UK Biobank (UKBB), while the GWAS for GDM utilized data from FinnGen. We employed a false discovery rate (FDR) of 5% to account for multiple comparisons. Results: The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method indicated that the genetically predicted 24 risk factors were significantly associated with GDM, such as "Forced expiratory volume in 1-second (FEV1)" (OR=0.76; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.92), "Forced vital capacity (FVC)" (OR=0.74; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.87), "Usual walking pace" (OR=0.19; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.39), "Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)" (OR=0.86; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.94). The sensitivity analyses with MR-Egger and weighted median methods indicated consistent results for most of the trats. Conclusion: Our study has uncovered a significant causal relationship between 24 risk factors and GDM. These results offer a new theoretical foundation for preventing or mitigating the risks associated with GDM.

Pregnancy outcomes of immigrant women living in Korea: A population-based study.

Although there is a high rate of pregnant immigrant women in Korea, little is known regarding their pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pregnancy outcomes of immigrant women in Korea. Data for all pregnant women who gave birth between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2016 were obtained using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Database. Pregnant women were divided into two groups: Korean and immigrant women. The main outcome measures were adverse pregnancy outcomes including gestational diabetes of mellitus, preeclampsia, cesarean section, placental abrnomalities, and postpartum hemorrhage. The odds of gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, cesarean section, placental previa, placental abruptio, and postpartum hemorrhage was compared between the two groups. Among 4,439,778 pregnant women who gave birth during the study period, 168,940 (3.8%) were immigrant women. The odds of gestational diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.28), and cesarean section (adjusted OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.25-1.28)were higher in immigrant women than in Korean women, but the odds of preeclampsia (adjusted OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.81-0.86) and postpartum hemorrhage (adjusted OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.97) was lower in immigrant women than in Korean women. Immigrant women had different pregnancy outcomes. Pregnancy and postpartum management that reflects these characteristics will be necessary for immigrant women.

Umbilical Cord Biometry and Fetal Abdominal Skinfold Assessment as Potential Biomarkers for Fetal Macrosomia in a Gestational Diabetes Romanian Cohort.

Backgroundand Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pregnancy-associated pathology commonly resulting in macrosomic fetuses, a known culprit of obstetric complications. We aimed to evaluate the potential of umbilical cord biometry and fetal abdominal skinfold assessment as screening tools for fetal macrosomia in gestational diabetes mellitus pregnant women. Materials and methods: This was a prospective case−control study conducted on pregnant patients presenting at 24−28 weeks of gestation in a tertiary-level maternity hospital in Northern Romania. Fetal biometry, fetal weight estimation, umbilical cord area and circumference, areas of the umbilical vein and arteries, Wharton jelly (WJ) area and abdominal fold thickness measurements were performed. Results: A total of 51 patients were enrolled in the study, 26 patients in the GDM group and 25 patients in the non-GDM group. There was no evidence in favor of umbilical cord area and WJ amount assessments as predictors of fetal macrosomia (p > 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference in the abdominal skinfold measurement during the second trimester between macrosomic and normal-weight newborns in the GDM patient group (p = 0.016). The second-trimester abdominal circumference was statistically significantly correlated with fetal macrosomia at term in the GDM patient group with a p value of 0.003, as well as when considering the global prevalence of macrosomia in the studied populations, 0.001, when considering both populations. Conclusions: The measurements of cord and WJ could not be established as predictors of fetal macrosomia in our study populations, nor differentiate between pregnancies with and without GDM. Abdominal skinfold measurement and abdominal circumference measured during the second trimester may be important markers of fetal metabolic status in pregnancies complicated by GDM.

Perspectives on gestational diabetes mellitus in South Africa.

The field of gestational diabetes mellitus has attracted increasing attention and research in South Africa (SA) over the past decade, creating a better understanding of the disease burden, risk factors, availability of specialised healthcare services, and importantly the far-reaching maternal and childhood consequences beyond the pregnancy. This article brings together all the local published literature in the field and outlines the implications of this condition, together with recommendations regarding particular areas that require attention in order to prevent and alleviate the disease burden in SA.