Gestational diabetes mellitus: state of art

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease characterized by hyperglycemia, first established during pregnancy, while the concentration of venous plasma glucose should not exceed 6.9 mmol/l. As a rule, after childbirth, the disease regresses, but it does not pass without a trace for either the mother or the child. The consequences of gestational diabetes include an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in the mother and type 2 diabetes, as well as diabetic fetopathy of the fetus and complications during pregnancy and childbirth: the threat of termination of pregnancy, premature birth, preeclampsia, polyhydramnios, high frequency of operative delivery and birth trauma. There is also a long-term risk of developing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in a child. Gestational diabetes affects approximately 16.5% of pregnant women worldwide, an increase in the incidence is predicted due to an increase in the percentage of obese women. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a complication of gestation that is not easily diagnosed and poorly predicted, and therefore potentially threatening to any pregnancy, requiring, given the list of perinatal and long – term consequences for mother and child, pre-gravidar prevention, thorough diagnosis and mandatory treatment with permanent control of glycemia levels, ketonuria and instrumental monitoring: cardiotcography and ultrasound. A competent approach to pregnancy planning, the implementation of a screening program for GDM and timely correction in case of its detection is the key to the health of a woman and her unborn child.