Glycemic targets in pregnancies affected by diabetes: historical perspective and future directions.

The definition of optimal glycemic control in pregnancies affected by diabetes remains enigmatic. Diabetes phenotypes are heterogeneous. Moreover, fetal macrosomia insidiously occurs even with excellent glycemic control. Current blood glucose (BG) targets (FBG ≤95, 1-h post-prandial <140, 2 h <120 mg/dL) have improved perinatal outcomes, but arguably they have not normalized. The conventional management approach has been to replicate a pattern of glycemia in normal pregnancy. Although these patterns are lower than previously appreciated, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) has never compared current vs. lower glucose targets powered on maternal/fetal outcomes. This paper provides historical context to the current targets by reviewing evidence supporting their evolution. Using lower targets (FBG <90, 1 h <122, 2 h <110, mean BG ≤95 mg/dL) may help normalize outcomes, but phenotypic differences (type 1 vs. type 2 vs. gestational diabetes) might require different glycemic goals. There remains a critical need for well-designed RCTs to confirm optimal glycemic control that minimizes both small for and large for gestational age across pregnancies affected by diabetes.

Prediabetes and the big baby.

The concept of prediabetes has come to the fore again with the worldwide epidemic of Type 2 diabetes. The careful observations of W. P. U. Jackson and his colleagues in Cape Town, South Africa 50 years ago still deserve attention. Maternal hyperglycaemia cannot be the only cause of fetal macrosomia, and the pathophysiological reason for the unexplained stillbirth in late diabetic pregnancy still eludes us. The biochemical concepts of 'facilitated anabolism' and 'accelerated starvation' were developed by Freinkel as explanations of the protective mechanisms for the baby during the stresses of pregnancy. Some of these nutritional stresses may also occur in the particular form of early childhood malnutrition known in Africa as kwashiorkor, where subcutaneous fat deposition, carbohydrate intolerance, islet hyperplasia and sudden death may follow a period of excess carbohydrate and deficient protein intake. Different feeding practices in different parts of the world make comparisons uncertain, but there is evidence for insulin resistance in both the macrosomic fetus of the hyperglycaemic mother and in the child with established kwashiorkor. These adaptive changes in early development may play both a physiological and a pathological role. Worldwide studies of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy are gradually establishing acceptable diagnostic criteria, appropriate screening procedures and an evidence base for treatment. Nevertheless the challenge of prediabetes and the big baby is still with us--in Jackson's words--'diabetes mellitus is a fascinating condition-the more we know about it the less we understand it'.

[Pregnancy in diabetic women--past and today]. / Ciaza u kobiety chorej na cukrzyce--historia a dzien dzisiejszy.

The discovery of insulin in 1921 and introducing insulin into a clinical practice gave an unique opportunity to treat people suffering from a type 1 diabetes successfully. Prior to this success, pregnancy in diabetic women was extremely rare and most of cases resulted in stillbirth and fatal outcome for mother. After the introduction of insulin into therapy of pregnant women with diabetes, a permanent improvement in neonatal and maternal outcome has been noted. However, a diabetic pregnancy still constitutes a high risk pregnancy, requiring a targeted, highly specialized control of women and fetus. This review presents problems concerning diagnose, treatment and outcome of diabetic pregnancy throughout the XXth century.

Dr Priscilla White (1900-1989) of Boston and pregnancy diabetes.

A woman doctor in a man's world, Priscilla White dedicated her whole life to the care of diabetic women during pregnancy and to children with this condition. She emphasised the importance of close supervision during pregnancy by a small obstetric and diabetic team. Her classification of diabetes in pregnancy was widely accepted. During her long career she pioneered a number of advances in this field and witnessed a remarkable fall in maternal and perinatal mortality.

Diabetes y embarazo / Diabetes and pregnancy

La práctica médica diaria en nuestro medio permitió verificar resultados citados en este artículo, por lo que se ha resuelto efectuar una revisión bibliográfica, sobre todo referente a la detección de la diabetes en mujeres embarazadas. Contiene además datos generales sobre causales y complicaciones en el binomio madre niño que deben ser conocidas para optimizar el tratamiento de esta enfermedad durante la gestación y el periodo neonatal imnediato

Pregnancy in women with diabetes mellitus. The beginning.

Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, pregnancies in women with diabetes mellitus were uncommon. Most patients succumbed to ketoacidosis within 1 to 2 years after diagnosis. Insulin therapy restored the fertility of these women, and maternal deaths were nearly eliminated; however, the perinatal mortality rate remained high. Elective preterm deliveries were planned to reduce the stillbirth rate, often resulting in neonatal deaths from respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, women with more severe disease were able to become pregnant with a risk of complications due to preeclampsia.

A story of two miracles: the impact of the discovery of insulin on pregnancy in women with diabetes mellitus.

Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, pregnancies in women with diabetes mellitus were a rarity because most reproductive-age patients died soon after diagnosis of this illness. In the limited number of pregnancies reported in the pre-insulin era, both perinatal and maternal mortality were approximately 50%, with stillbirths being the primary cause of perinatal deaths. Insulin treatment restored the fertility of women with diabetes and was associated with a marked reduction in maternal mortality. Women with more severe disease had the opportunity to become pregnant; however, their pregnancies frequently resulted in neonatal death due to prematurity. Therefore, perinatal mortality was not substantially reduced.