Diabetes during pregnancy doubles the risk of illness in children

Children of mothers with diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing diabetes before the age of 22

Children of mothers with gestational diabetes or diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for diabetes themselves. This is the conclusion of a new research published in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. India has the largest number of diabetics in the world, but very few studies have looked at the burden of gestational diabetes in India.

According to a published systematic review and meta-badysis, the prevalence of gestational diabetes in India ranged from 0.6% to 27.3% in 2016. The combined estimate of the prevalence of gestational diabetes among Indian women was 9.3%.

It is important to detect early diabetes in children and young people, as about one quarter of cases are diagnosed while they are seeking treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes.

It is important to detect early diabetes in children and young people, as about a quarter of cases are diagnosed while they are seeking treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes.

"Although type 1 and type 2 diabetes is a well-established risk factor in parents, we show that gestational diabetes mellitus may be an indicator of risk of diabetes in the mother's children before age. of 22 years, "said Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, clinician. Scientist, Center for Results Research and Evaluation (CORE) of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center.

The study included 73,180 mothers. Data on single births selected at random from mothers with gestational diabetes were compared to those of mothers without gestational diabetes.

The results showed that the number of new cases of diabetes per 10,000 person-years was 4.5 in children born to mothers with gestational diabetes and 2.4 in non-affected mothers. A child or teenager whose mother had gestational diabetes was almost twice as likely to develop diabetes before the age of 22. The badociation has been found in children from birth to 22 years, from birth to 12 years and 12 to 22 years.

"This link between diabetes in children and adolescents with gestational diabetes in the mother can potentially lead clinicians, parents, and children and youth themselves to consider the possibility of diabetes if the offspring of a A mother with gestational diabetes develops signs and symptoms such as frequent urination, abnormal thirst, weight loss or fatigue, "said Dr. Dasgupta.