DIABETES MELLITUS DURING PREGNANCY IS A RISK FACTOR FOR HYPERTENSION.

Abstract

Introduction: According to reports, one in every ten pregnancies in the world is accompanied with diabetes, with GDM accounting for 90% of the cases. GDM rates in India are anticipated to be 10-15%, with a growth to 20% expected. There is a significant positive relationship between maternal hyperglycemia and unfavourable maternal outcome, with hypertension in pregnancy having the highest link. The current investigation aims to uncover the link between GDM and hypertension during pregnancy.

Methods: A prospective observational study of 1000 pregnant women was conducted. Among these, 230 fulfilled the updated IADPSG criteria for GDM, whereas the others were classified as normoglycemic. The pregnancy associated hypertension (PAH) category includes women with preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. The risk of PAH was assessed in women with normoglycemia and GDM, and maternal demographic variables related with it were discovered.

Result: There were 58 (3.5%) women with PAH. When compared to women with GDM, normoglycemic women had a lower rate of PAH (5.1% vs 7.2%, p>0.05). The probability of pre-eclampsia in GDM patients was considerably higher than in normoglycemic women (p.05). Women with GDM and PAH also had the highest incidence of pregnancy after 35 years, obesity, primiparity, and caesarean sections.

Conclusion: This study found that GDM is linked to an increased risk of PAH. The common pathophysiology proposed for both GDM and hypertension in pregnancy is a pre-pregnancy susceptibility to beta cell malfunction, which may be masked by the growing insulin resistance during pregnancy. Early detection and careful monitoring of women with GDM for the development of PAH are critical.

Key words: GDM and PAH