Increasing incidence of abnormal glucose tolerance in women with prior abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy: DIAGEST 2 study.

AIMS: Mild blood glucose abnormalities during pregnancy may be linked to later glucose tolerance abnormalities or diabetes mellitus. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) 6.75 years after delivery in women with differential blood glucose status during pregnancy. METHODS: We compared long-term outcomes among control women (n = 221), women with abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy (AGT; n = 322) and women with gestational diabetes (GDM; n = 466) who participated in DIAGEST 1. Women were recruited from 15 public maternity units in France. Clinical parameters could be determined in 155 control, 220 AGT and 338 GDM subjects. Rates of DM, IGT, IFG and 'Any Abnormality' were compared between the groups (American Diabetes Association criteria). RESULTS: Adherence to follow-up was 70.7%. Rates of DM, IGT and IFG were respectively 0.9% DM, 2.1% IGT and 3.6% IFG in the control group; rates in the AGT group were 6.3%, 11.3% and 6.3%. In GDM women, the rates of DM, IGT and IFG were, respectively, 18.0%, 13.4% and 8.5%. Predictors for DM were previous GDM, medical history of hypertension, age at delivery > or = 33 years, family history of diabetes, fasting glucose during pregnancy > or = 5.5 mmol/l and the severity of hyperglycaemia during pregnancy defined by the number of abnormal blood glucose values fasting, 1, 2 and 3 h during the glucose tolerance test at diagnosis of GDM. CONCLUSION: This study has identified a high prevalence of glucose tolerance abnormalities after AGT during pregnancy. Compared with GDM women, women with AGT have an intermediate risk of later diabetes.

[Evaluation of the Granada medium used for the determination of Streptococcus agalactiae at the eighth month of pregnancy]. / Evaluation du milieu Granada appliqué au dépistage de Streptococcus agalactiae au huitième mois de grossesse.

Granada medium (GM) was evaluated for the detection of group B streptococci (GBS) in vaginal swabs compared with the standard culture on selective blood agar (BA) and classical identification methods. From May to November 2002, samples from 325 pregnant women (34 to 37 weeks of gestation) were processed and 44 of these women (13.5%) carried GBS. Comparatively, GM was found more sensitive than the selective BA (95% versus 91%) in GBS recovery. The characteristic red-orange colonies produced by GBS are so specific that further identification is unnecessary. The technique is simple and results are available after overnight incubation, improving the time to reporting a GBS-positive result by at least 24 h. The inconvenience of anaerobic incubation of GM plates can be avoided when a cover slide is placed upon the inoculum because the same pigmentation is obtained under these aerobic conditions. This study confirms that the routine use of GM appears to be an accurate, easy and highly sensitive method of identification of GBS in pregnant women.

Pregnancy induced hypertension in women with gestational carbohydrate intolerance: the diagest study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and gestational glucose intolerance. METHODS: A 50g, 1h glucose loading test was offered to all pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation in 15 centres in northern France during 8 months in 1992. If the test was positive (> or =7.2 mmol/l), the woman underwent a 3h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as soon as possible. Using the criteria of Carpenter and Coustan, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was defined by two abnormal values (n=218) and gestational mild hyperglycemia (GMH) by one abnormal value (n=130). Each control group was defined by a 50g, 1h loading test result of <7.2 mmol/l (n=108).PIH included gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE). GH was defined as a diastolic pressure of more than 85 mmHg on at least two occasions arising during pregnancy. PE was defined as GH with proteinuria > or =500 mg/24h. RESULTS: The rate of PIH in the three groups (GDM; GMH and control group, C) was, respectively 17.0, 10.8, and 4.6%. All the six PE occurred in the GDM group. Univariate analysis showed significantly higher rate of hypertension in women with a history of PE, increasing body mass index before pregnancy (BMI) and glucose intolerance. In multivariate analysis with adjustment for primiparity, independent risk factors for PIH were a history of PE, BMI>27 and GDM, contrary to GMH and maternal age. CONCLUSIONS: PIH appears to be linked to the level of glucose intolerance during pregnancy, independently of other known factors of hypertension.

Higher carbohydrate intake is associated with decreased incidence of newborn macrosomia in women with gestational diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of energy and macronutrient intake on infant birthweight in women with gestational diabetes mellitus undergoing intensive management. DESIGN: This prospective study evaluated the impact of intensive management of gestational diabetes on maternal and fetal morbidity, and addressed the relationship between food intake and infant birthweight. SETTING: Fifteen maternity hospitals in northern France. SUBJECTS: Ninety-nine women with gestational diabetes or gestational mild hyperglycemia diagnosed between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation were surveyed. After 1 was excluded because of a premature birth and 18 were excluded as underreporters, 80 women were included in the final analysis. Diet intake was assessed by a dietary history at the first interview, and by two 3-day diet records at the 3rd and 7th week after diagnosis. RESULTS: In a forward-stepwise regression analysis (controlling for maternal age; smoking; parity; prepregnancy BMI; pregnancy weight gain; gestational duration; infant sex; fasting and 2-hour postprandial serum glucose; insulin therapy; and energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate intake during treatment) infant birthweight was positively associated with gestational duration (beta = +0.34, P<.002), and negatively with smoking (beta = -0.27, P<.02) and carbohydrate intake (beta = -0.24, P<.03). There were no large-for-gestational-age infants among women whose carbohydrate intake exceeded 210 g/day. CONCLUSION: For women with gestational diabetes undergoing intensive management, higher carbohydrate intake is associated with decreased incidence of macrosomia. APPLICATION: These findings suggest that nutrition counseling in gestational diabetes must be directed to maintain a sufficient carbohydrate intake (at least 250 g per day), which implies a low-fat diet to limit energy intake. A careful distribution of carbohydrate throughout the day and the use of low-glycemic index foods may help limit postprandial hyperglycemia.