The need for insulin therapy in women with early diagnosis of GDM can be predicted by a logistic regression model, which can be converted to a clinically usable nomogram that could help to properly address follow-up strategies for GDM treatment in regions where health resources are limited.

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Background Recognizing that hyperglycemia in pregnancy can impact both individually a patient’s health and collectively the healthcare system and that different levels of hyperglycemia incur different consequences, we aimed to evaluate the differences and similarities between patients who met the diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) according to the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria based on the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Methods This retrospective study included a cohort of 1064 women followed-up at the Gestational Diabetes Unit of Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Patients were classified into GDM and DIP groups, according to their OGTT results. Their electronic charts were reviewed to obtain clinical and laboratory data for all participants. Results Women in the DIP group had a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (30.5 vs 28.1 kg/m2, odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.11), more frequently experienced GDM in a previous pregnancy (25% vs. 11%, OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.17–6.27), and were more likely to have chronic hypertension (43.1% vs. 23.5%, OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.47–4.11), a current twin pregnancy (10.8% vs. 2.9%, OR 4.04, 95% CI 1.70–9.61), or require insulin (46.1% vs. 14.3%, OR 5.14, 95% CI 3.06–8.65) than those in the GDM group. Patients in the DIP group also had a higher frequency of large-for-gestational-age infants (12.3% vs. 5.1%, OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.23–6.27) and abnormal postpartum OGTT (45.9% vs. 12.6%, OR 5.91, 95% CI 2.93–11.90) than those in the GDM group. Nevertheless, in more than half of the DIP patients, glucose levels returned to normal after birth. Conclusions Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes but does not equate to a diagnosis of diabetes post-pregnancy. It is necessary to identify and monitor these women more closely during and after pregnancy. Keeping patients with hyperglycemia in pregnancy engaged in healthcare is essential for accurate diagnosis and prevention of complications related to abnormal glucose metabolism.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications in pregnancy. It may be diagnosed using a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) early in pregnancy (eGDM) or a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (late GDM). This retrospective cohort of women with GDM presents data from 1891 patients (1004 in the eGDM and 887 in the late GDM group). Student’s t-test, chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test and the Bonferroni test for post hoc analysis were used to compare the groups. Women with eGDM had higher pre-pregnancy BMI, more frequent family history of DM, more frequent history of previous GDM, and were more likely to have chronic hypertension. They were more likely to deliver by cesarean section and to present an abnormal puerperal OGTT. Even though they received earlier treatment and required insulin more frequently, there was no difference in neonatal outcomes. Diagnosing and treating GDM is necessary to reduce complications and adverse outcomes, but it is still a challenge. We believe that women with eGDM should be treated and closely monitored, even though this may increase healthcare-related costs.

Background Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications affecting pregnant women. While most women will achieve adequate glycemic levels with diet and exercise, some will require pharmacological treatment to reach and maintain glucose levels between the desired thresholds. Identifying these patients early in pregnancy could help direct resources and interventions. Methods This retrospective cohort of women with GDM diagnosed with an abnormal 75g-OGTT presents data from 869 patients (724 in the diet group and 145 in the insulin group). Univariate logistic regression was used to compare the groups, and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with the need for insulin. A log-linear function was used to estimate the probability of requiring pharmacological treatment. Results Women in the insulin group had higher pre-pregnancy BMI index (29.8 vs 27.8 kg/m2, odds ratio [OR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.09), more frequent history of previous GDM (19.4% vs. 7.8%, OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.59–5.05), were more likely to have chronic hypertension (31.7% vs. 23.2%, OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.04–2.27), and had higher glucose levels at all three OGTT points. Multivariable logistic regression final model included age, BMI, previous GDM status, and the three OGTT values as predictors of insulin requirement. Conclusions We can use regularly collected data from patients (age, BMI, previous GDM status, and the three OGTT values) to calculate the risk of a woman with GDM diagnosed in OGTT needing insulin. Identifying patients with a greater risk of requiring pharmacological treatment could help healthcare services to better allocate resources and offer closer follow-up to high-risk patients.