EON

Women With Gestational Diabetes At Higher Risk Of Later Diabetes

Toronto-Researchers that are from the University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Institute for Evaluative and Clinical Science has made some startling diabetic risk links.

The scientists looked at over 650,000 women from Ontario that did not have any pre existing diabetes when they became pregnant.

Of these women approx. 21,823 women developed gestational diabetes, and they were tracked for nine years afterwards.

Of the women that developed gestational diabetes during birth, they were nearly 20 percent more likely to develop eventual Type II adult diabetes than the women who did not develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

The likelihood that women who lived in urban and low-income areas to develop gestational and eventually Type II diabetes were also much higher.

The study was done between 1995 and the year 2002, and is being published in the July 29th issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

There is not a known factor causing the increased risk but the women that did develop gestational diabetes also showed different metabolic markers that are consistent with Type II diabetes such as insulin resistance.

Women in this risk group benefit from regular screening and preventative intervention, as well as long term follow up care.